Best Picture: Rocky

Rocky also won Academy Awards for Directing (John G. Avildsen) and Film Editing (Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad).

Sylvester Stallone became the third person in Oscar history to be nominated in a single year as both an actor and as a screenwriter (the others were Charles Chaplin in 1940 and Orson Welles in 1941).

Peter Finch was the first performer to win a posthumous Oscar (Best Actor in Network). The award was accepted by his widow.

Barbra Streisand became the first Oscar-winning actress to also be an Academy Award-winning composer. Evergreen, from A Star Is Born, won the Song category; Streisand wrote the music, with lyrics by Paul Williams.

Lina Wertmüller was the first woman to be nominated for Directing (Seven Beauties).

Richard Pryor, Jane Fonda, Ellen Burstyn, and Warren Beatty shared hosting duties.

Muhammad Ali surprised Sylvester Rocky Stallone – and the audience – when he appeared on stage. The two men briefly engaged in a good-natured spar.

In March 1976, the American League voted to expand to Toronto and in August, the new team was named the Blue Jays.

In April 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak formed the Apple Computer company.

In April 1976, the Ramones released their first album, called Ramones.

On June 4, 1976, the Boston Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns 128-126 in triple overtime in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Boston Garden.

In June 1976, the CN Tower, the world’s tallest free-standing structure, opened to the public in Toronto.

On July 29, 1976, the so-called Son of Sam fired shots at Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti while they were sitting in a car in the Bronx, killing Lauria and wounding Valenti. It was the first in a series of shootings by the serial killer who terrorized New York City over the course of the next year

In July 1976, NASA released the Face on Mars photo, taken by Viking 1.

In July 1976, during the Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, 14-year-old Nadia Comaneci became the first gymnast in Olympic history to be awarded a perfect score of 10. She went on to receive seven perfect scores and three gold medals at the Montreal Games and became the youngest all-around gold medalist.

In September 1976, Frank Sinatra brought Jerry Lewis's former partner, Dean Martin, on stage, unannounced, at the 1976 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in Las Vegas, Nevada, reuniting the comedy team for the first time in over 20 years.

On November 2, 1976, Jimmy Carter defeated the incumbent president, Gerald Ford, in the U.S. presidential election.

Special Achievement Award

To Carlo Rambaldi, Glen Robinson and Frank Van der Veer for Visual Effects, King Kong.

Special Achievement Award

To L. B. Abbott, Glen Robinson and Matthew Yuricich for Visual Effects, Logan’s Run.

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, to Pandro S. Berman.