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Last night, television’s biggest stars arrived at the 75th Golden Globes in Beverly Hills dressed in designer gowns and suits. As they carefully climbed out of their fancy cars and limousines, they were greeted by a plush red carpet to guide them inside the theater.
Why do celebrities walk a red carpet before each award show? We answer this question with help from Smithsonian Magazine.
The earliest mention of a “crimson path” comes from the Greek playwright Aeschylus in his 458 B.C. play, “Agamemnon.” According to Smithsonian Magazine, “the title character in ‘Agamemnon’ is greeted by his vengeful wife Clytemnestra, who invites him to walk a crimson path to his house.” We do not see this path used again until 1821, when a red carpet greeted President James Madison as he got off of a riverboat in Georgetown, South Carolina.
While ancient Greek plays and presidents were the first to use red carpets, we have big cities and their railroads to thank for coining of the phrase, “red-carpet treatment.” In 1902, red carpets were rolled out just before the 20th Century Limited trains arrived in New York and Chicago. As passengers exited, their feet met rich red carpets embossed with the company’s insignia, rather than cold pavement.
The red-carpet treatment didn’t make its way to Hollywood until 1961 when the Academy of Motion Pictures rolled out a long red carpet to greet and guide that year’s movie stars to the Academy Awards. Today, the red carpet is an integral part of not only the Academy Awards, but also all of Hollywood’s biggest awards shows, including tonight’s Emmy Awards.
Looking for more Never Stop Asking "Why?" questions? Catch up on all of the past "Whys" on the blog!
