Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society features an image of Sir William Herschel's 40-foot telescope. This physical object serves as the primary symbol for the award and maintains a design consistent with this historical imagery.
Caroline Herschel became the first woman to receive the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1828. No other woman received the award until Vera Rubin in 1996, creating a span covering nearly two centuries of male recipients only.
No gold medal was awarded in 1920 because Britain remained technically engaged in the First World War against Germany when the vote took place. Council members felt it inappropriate to award a German citizen at that time since the Treaty of Versailles did not enter into force until the 10th of January 1920.
In 1964 the award expanded to two medals per year with one category covering astronomy including astrophysics and cosmology and the other focusing on geophysics including planetary science and tectonics. Before this decision one medal per year was usual practice though two medals were awarded in both 1867 and 1886 previously.
John Couch Adams received his Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1866 following the Neptune discovery controversy. No award was made in 1847 due to the dispute over joint recognition for him and Urbain Le Verrier, and twelve testimonial awards replaced the gold medal in 1848 for various people.