6 brilliant historic Oscars moments to relive before Hollywood's big night

The Oscars 2022 are sure to be a big night for everyone—movie buffs, fashionistas, and the celebrity-obsessed. 

They'll be plenty of noteworthy moments after this year's Academy Awards, so it's the perfect chance to look back at some of the best historic Oscars moments of all time.

The glitz and glam of the Hollywood award show never fails to impress but the truth is, the industry hasn't always supported diversity and equality, so from Halle Berry's 2002 acceptance speech to Kathryn Bigelow's monumental 2010 win, these historic Oscars moments started to pave the way for change and hlp shatter those glass ceilings.

The best historic Oscars moments

Hattie McDaniel in 1940

Forced to sit separately from her white co-stars, Hattie took home the best actress award for Gone With The Wind—the first black actor to win an Oscar in 1940.

Throughout her career, Hattie starred in over 300 films and shorts during her epic reign, often experiencing racism and racial segregation. She wasn't even allowed to attend the premiere of Gone With the Wind in Atlanta due to it being played in a whites-only theatre. 

In 1940 she scooped the best actress award at a ceremony that took place at Coconut Grove restaurant at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

Tatum O'Neal in 1974

Age is just a number, really. When you're good—you're good! Tatum O'Neal nabbed the coveted best-supporting actress award for her role playing child con-artist Addie Loggins in Paper Moon at just 10 years old. 

What a way to ring in double digits, huh?

Since her amazing Oscars win Tatum has gone on to have roles in Sex and the City, Law & Order, and Dancing with the Stars.

Marisa Tomei in 1993

Sometimes the underdog comes out victorious; take Marisa Tomei's Oscar win, for example. The actress wasn't predicted to snag the best-supporting actress title for the comedy My Cousin Vinny, but that's exactly what she did. 

She was a worthy contender from the get-go and has gone on to have a monumental career starring in films such as Captain America: Civil War and the Spiderman franchise. 

Halle Berry in 2002

Halle Berry took home the title for Best Actress in 2002 for Monster Ball. She acknowledged how her success story would help pave the way for other women of color in years to come. 

"It’s for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened," she said. 

Kathryn Bigelow in 2010

Arguably one of the event's most startling statistics, only two women have ever won the best director gong, and Kathryn Bigelow was the first for The Hurt Locker. 

Astonishingly it took over ten years for another woman to pick up the prize. Chinese-born Chloé Zhao was nominated for her work as director of Nomadland, a film she also wrote.

This year only one woman is nominated in the best director category and that is Jane Campion, for Power of the Dog. She's up against Kenneth Branagh (Belfast), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car), Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza), and Steven Spielberg (West Side Story).

Emma Stone in 2018

While reading the nominees for the best director category in2018, Emma made a nod towards the category's then sole female winner, Kathryn Bigelow. 

During her announcement, she called out the continuing male-ness by saying, "These four men and Greta Gerwig created their own masterpieces this year" which was met with raucous applause.