Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first issue of Astronomy and Astrophysics appeared in January 1969. This publication combined Annales d'Astrophysique established in 1938 with Bulletin of the Astronomical Institutes of the Netherlands established in 1921.
Stuart Pottasch and Jean-Louis Steinberg were appointed as the initial editors-in-chief at a Brussels meeting in July 1968. Adriaan Blaauw served as the first chairman of the Board of Directors starting from October 1968.
In 2001 the words A European Journal disappeared from the front cover as the scope widened beyond continental borders. Argentina became an observer member in 2002 before gaining full membership status in 2005.
Since January 2022 Astronomy and Astrophysics operates under a full open access model known as Subscribe to Open. Authors now pay article processing charges for immediate permanent access while other sections remain free or delayed open access.
Portugal Croatia Bulgaria Armenia Lithuania Norway Serbia and Ukraine all added their names during the 2010s. The board decided in 2004 that any country with well-documented active astronomical research could apply for sponsoring membership regardless of geography.