Short answers, pulled from the story.
Grumman received the official contract for the Lunar Excursion Module on the 7th of November 1962. This decision followed a proposal process where eleven firms were invited and nine companies submitted technical proposals in September 1962.
The initial design featured folding legs and large curved windows resembling a helicopter cockpit before being renamed the bug configuration. Redesigns removed heavy cockpit windows and seats to allow astronauts to stand while flying, replacing them with smaller triangular windows and a cable pulley system for support.
Six landed descent stages remain at their lunar landing sites while corresponding ascent stages crashed into the Moon following use. One ascent stage from Apollo 10 named Snoopy was discarded in heliocentric orbit and three other LMs were destroyed during controlled re-entry in Earth's atmosphere.
The Apollo 13 LM-7 Aquarius saved lives after an oxygen tank rupture disabled the Command Service Module in April 1970. The spacecraft served as a lifeboat for four days supporting three astronauts when it was designed for only two crew members.
The name changed to Lunar Module in June 1966 eliminating the word excursion from its title. This renaming followed the decision to freeze the configuration in April 1963 when ascent and descent engine designs were finalized.