In 1972, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences attempted to mend a 20-year rift by awarding Charlie Chaplin an Honorary Oscar. Chaplin had been effectively exiled from the United States in 1952 during the McCarthy-era 'Red Scare' due to his perceived political leanings. Returning to America for the first time in two decades, the 82-year-old 'Little Tramp' was greeted with a 12-minute standing ovation—the longest in the history of the Academy Awards. The audience of Hollywood's elite remained on their feet, many in tears, as Chaplin visibly struggled with emotion on stage. He simply told the crowd, 'Words are so futile, so feeble. I can only say thank you for the honor of inviting me here.' It remains one of the most poignant and significant moments of reconciliation in Hollywood history.