Short answers, pulled from the story.
The earliest known predecessor to the bass drum was the Turkish davul, a cylindrical drum with two thin heads stretched over hoops and attached to a narrow shell. This instrument produced a sound much deeper than any other drum in existence and was indispensable for war and combat to ensure forces marched in proper step.
The Sonor drum company introduced its first single bass drum pedal in 1900. William F. Ludwig made the bass drum pedal workable in 1909, paving the way for the modern drum kit.
The first person to use and popularize the double bass drum setup was jazz drummer Louie Bellson, who came up with the idea when he was still in high school. By 1941, Ray McKinley was also using this setup, but it was not until the 1960s that double bass drums became popularized by rock drummers such as Ginger Baker of Cream, Keith Moon of The Who, Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd.
A bass line ensemble usually has from as many as seven bass drums to as few as two, with most high school drumlines consisting of between three and five. The drums are typically between 16 and 32 inches in diameter, but some groups have used bass drums as small as 14 inches and larger than 36 inches.
The three primary ways to play single strokes with one foot are the heel-down technique, the heel-up technique, and the floating stroke. The heel-down technique involves planting the heel on the pedal and playing strokes with the ankle, while the heel-up technique lifts the heel off the pedal with strokes originating from the hip.