Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first model offered for sale appeared in 1954 with a solid ash body and black dot inlays. This initial release featured a double-cutaway body shape designed to allow musicians to reach higher frets without obstruction.
Leo Fender stood in a workshop in Fullerton, California during 1952 and began sketching ideas for the new guitar. Bill Carson, George Fullton, and Freddie Tavares joined him to refine these concepts into a physical reality by working through 1954.
David Gilmour's Black Strat sold for US$3.975 million in 2019 when Jim Irsay purchased it as part of The Jim Irsay Collection. This instrument became known as Blackie after being made from multiple 1950s instruments.
CBS Instruments acquired the company in 1965 and sales dropped until Jimi Hendrix revitalized interest in the late 1960s. Quality perceptions fell during the 1970s under corporate ownership while CBS enlarged the word Stratocaster on headstocks between 1968 and 1982 to improve visibility.
Fender switched to alder wood for sunburst and most custom colors starting in 1956 because ash required grain filler and sanding blocks which slowed production compared to alder. The first model offered for sale appeared in 1954 with a solid ash body before this change occurred.