The Early Years of Film

Movies have been shown from the first public showing in New York City in 1896 to millions of movie theaters around the world today. Films started out as silent pictures, which means you could not hear people talk. Many film stars of this era included Rudolph Valentino, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, etc. Charlie Chaplin, also known as "The Little Tramp", appeared in many silent classics such as The Tramp, The Gold Rush, and City Lights.

It was in 1927 that the first Academy Awards took place. Wings was the first film to win Best Picture and was the only silent movie to ever achieve that status. The first talking picture was The Jazz Singer from 1927, which paved the way for millions more of these types of film.