On April 10, 1972, singersongwriter Issac Hayes made history becoming the first AfricanAmerican to win an Academy Award (Oscar) in a nonacting category for "Best Music Original Song" for the theme from the movie 'SHAFT.'

Hayes joined Hattie McDaniel, who won a "Best Supporting Actress" Oscar in 1939 for "Gone with the Wind" and Sidney Poiter who was honored as "Best Actor" in 1963 for the movie "Lilies of the field" as the only black Oscar winners.

Black History was also made the night Hayes won his statuette with Sammy Davis Jr. becoming the first black person to be a host of the Oscar awards show.

This video will be part of a noncommercial series of journalistic reports on great moments in American TV history.

The copyrighted material used here is courtesy of NBCTV, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, MGM motion pictures, and Stax Records.