He had to return to Europe before the ceremony, so the Academy agreed to give him the prize earlier; this made him the first Academy Award winner in history.
hiː hædtə ɹᵻtˈɜːn tə jˈʊɹɹəp bᵻfˌoːɹ ðə sˈɛɹᵻməni, sˌoʊ ðɪ ɐkˈædəmi ɐɡɹˈiːd tə ɡˈɪv hˌɪm ðə pɹˈaɪz ˈɜːlɪɚ; ðɪs mˌeɪd hˌɪm ðə fˈɜːst ɐkˈædəmi ɐwˈɔːɹd wˈɪnɚɹ ɪn hˈɪstɚɹi.