In nearly a century, the Oscars have only been postponed four times. The first was in 1938, when massive flooding in Los Angeles delayed the ceremony by one week. The second occurred in 1968, when the ceremony was pushed back two days out of respect for the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1981, the show was postponed for 24 hours following the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. The most significant delay happened in 2021, when the 93rd Academy Awards were pushed back by two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This final postponement also saw the longest eligibility window in history, as the Academy allowed films released in early 2021 to compete alongside 2020 releases to account for theater closures.