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There's a reason it's the biggest party of award season.

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GGmomentsheroslide

Year after year, your favorite television and film stars come together for one jolly night. That night is the Golden Globes, and a lot of unforgettable things have happened since the show started in 1944.

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The Rat Pack changed it all

It may surprise you to learn that the Golden Globes weren't always the rip-roarin' party they are today. Originally, journalists handed out each award, and things were pretty, well, dry. But in 1958, Sinatra and the fellas took over the show, cigars and cocktails in hand. From then on, the Globes became an award-centered party.

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We should have seen this coming

At the 37th Golden Globe awards in 1980, Bette Midler made the joke that - if we're honest - everyone was thinking. She compared her two Golden Globes for The Rose to her two ... chest globes.

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Whoopi's bright win

At the 43rd Annual Golden Globe Awards in 1986, Whoopi Goldberg beat out the likes of Meryl Streep and Cher for the Best Actress award. But what drew more attention than her win was her wardrobe. Goldberg accepted her award wearing a bright yellow jumpsuit and sneakers.

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Thanks, Kaopectate

Brad Pitt wasn't afraid to admit that his stomach was churning when he was up for a Golden Globe in 1996 for his work in 12 Monkeys. In fact, while collecting his prize, he thanked the makers of Kaopectate for helping to get him through the night in his acceptance speech.

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It happens to the best of us

When nature calls, you have to answer, and Christine Lahti found that out the hard way when she missed her name being called off for Best Actress in Chicago Hope in 1998. This led to Robin Williams riffing on-stage with a deep south accent as everyone waited for the actress to collect her prize, announcing, "I was just flushing the toilet and someone said 'You won,' and I thought they were joking! And I thought 'What a terrible joke!' Oh my God."

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Angelina Jolie dives in

In 1999, a then lesser-known Angelina Jolie joked that, if she won the award for Best Actress for her work in Gia, she would jump into The Beverly Hilton's pool with her gown on. Well, she won. And her Golden Globes look doubled as a swimsuit.

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Jim Carrey gets real

He was known exclusively as a funny guy until he wowed us in The Truman Show. When he accepted his award in 1999, he started his speech with "This is serious" and mentioned his previous, "dramatic" works as the audience chuckled. He then went on to give a genuine, tearful speech.

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An ill-timed bathroom break

Renée Zellweger was also MIA when her name was called to accept the award for Best Actress for Nurse Betty in 2001. The reason? She scooted away to check the mirror to see if she had lipstick on her teeth to avoid being embarrassed. Well, look how that worked out!

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Who wore it best?

In 2006, Reese Witherspoon unknowingly wore the exact same dress Kirsten Dunst wore three years before. Witherspoon added one key accessory to hers, though: the Golden Globe for Best Actress.

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So many thank you's, so little time

Acceptance speeches can get out of hand. Before you know it, they cue the music to rush you off stage. Hugh Laurie avoided this fate by selecting three random names from his list of 146 to thank as he accepted his Golden Globe in 2006.

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When in doubt, marry a speechwriter

OK, so she's not exactly a speechwriter by trade. But Steve Carell's wife, Nancy, penned his fabulous acceptance speech in 2006. Naturally, it included a poignant thank you to her.

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Questionable gestures

Mickey Rourke made a major comeback in 2009. One of his rewards was the Golden Globe for Best Actor. During his speech, he thanked his dog (a lot) and also his director, Darren Aronofsky. In turn, Aronofsky flipped Rourke the bird. How sweet.

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Ricky Gervais went for the jugular

After more than a decade of host-less shows, the Golden Globes tapped Ricky Gervais to bring the laughter from 2010 to 2012. The comedian successfully hosted three years, but garnered bad press for his jokes about Scientology, the amount of airbrushing in the Sex and the City 2 poster, and helping the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press off of the toilet. It was full of yikes in the best way.

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Natalie Portman's laugh

In 2011, a pregnant Natalie Portman mentioned that her Black Swan co-star and baby daddy "totally wants to sleep with [her]" during her Best Actress acceptance speech. Whether she was slightly nervous or found her own joke downright hilarious, she let out a cackle that lives on in infamy.

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Fey and Poehler host with hilarious grace

Golden Globers felt a bit sour after Ricky Gervais' third year hosting, so they sought new hosts for the 70th ceremony. They found a goldmine (pun intended) in Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. They got right to the punch with "Ricky Gervais could not be here tonight. He is no longer technically in show business," and "As Ricky learned ... when you run afoul the Hollywood Foreign Press, they make you host the show two more years."

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Jodie Foster got personal

In thanking her longtime girlfriend during her 2013 acceptance speech, veteran actress Jodie Foster confirmed years of speculation about her sexuality ... and made big inroads for LGBT talent in Hollywood.

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Fey and Poehler strike again

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were so amazing that they came back to co-host two more years. In 2014, their monologue focused a great deal on women in Hollywood. For instance, this zinger: "Matthew McConaughey did amazing work this year. For his role in Dallas Buyers Club, he lost 45 pounds. Or what actresses call being in a movie." Then, in 2014, they went for the Bill Cosby joke and it landed. They know what they're doing, friends.

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George and Amal Clooney slay with their red carpet style

In 2015, George and Amal Clooney made one of their first public appearances as husband and wife. Suffice it to say, they dominated the red carpet thanks in no small part to Amal's amazing princess gloves and elegant gown.

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Shortest. Speech. Ever.

To avoid getting into "trouble," Billy Bob Thornton kept his acceptance speech simple when he won in 2015 for Fargo. saying simply, I'm just gonna say thank you." Two years later, though, when he won for Goliath, the actor had a lot more to say, poking fun as his fellow nominee Bob Odenkirk before paying tribute to a lost production assistant.

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Gina Rodriguez's tear-jerking speech

Gina Rodriguez's 2015 win for Jane The Virgin wasn't necessarily a shocker. But her speech was a pleasant, heartfelt surprise. She inspired us all with the declaration that her winning the award was bigger than her, and represented "a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes."

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Meryl Streep knocked another performance

No one is a more decorated actress right now than Meryl Streep, but in her 2017 acceptance speech she had to admit there was a more effective performer on display at the time: Donald Trump's. Among other things, Streep said, "Disrespect invites disrespect" and challenged the watching world to help protect journalists, like those of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

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The women wore black

With few exceptions, the 2018 Golden Globes fashions were all black as women and men alike united under one hue to promote the Time's Up movement.

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Natalie Portman took a dig

At the 2018 Golden Globes, presenter Natalie Portman slammed the lack of female nominees for best director that year by saying, "and here are all the all-male nominees."

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Oprah became president

Okay, okay, so she didn't really earn the mantle of POTUS, but Oprah Winfrey's acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2018 certainly had people seeing 2020 next to her name. The esteemed media tycoon championed women, people of color, and hope, among other things, and not a dry eye existed among those who watched.