The movies have their Oscars. Broadway has its Tonys. Off-Broadway has its Obies. And television has its Emmys. Ever since January 1949, when the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences first presented them at the Hollywood Athletic Club, the Emmy Awards have remained the most highly visible and coveted honor earned for achievement in television. The trophy's name was derived from "Immy," a word routinely employed to signify the image orthicon camera tube, which was in use during the early years of television. The statuette—a gold-plated winged lady hoisting a globe—was designed by television engineer Louis McManus, using his wife as a model. McManus himself was honored during that first ceremony with a special award "for his original design of the Emmy."

Best Actor and Best Actress in a Drama Series Emmy Award winners Andre Braugher and Christine Lahti with their statuettes, 1998.

Over the years, the...