Short answers, pulled from the story.
Metallica's current lineup is founding members James Hetfield on vocals and guitar and Lars Ulrich on drums, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, and bassist Robert Trujillo. Former members include bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton, and Jason Newsted, and guitarist Dave Mustaine, who formed Megadeth after being fired from Metallica in 1983.
Metallica was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 and was officially established on the 28th of October 1981. It came together after drummer Lars Ulrich placed an advertisement in a Los Angeles newspaper, The Recycler, seeking metal musicians to jam with. The band has been based in San Francisco for most of its career.
Cliff Burton, Metallica's bassist, died on the 27th of September 1986 when the band's tour bus skidded and overturned near Dorarp, Sweden, during the Damage, Inc. Tour. Burton was pinned under the bus, while Ulrich, Hammett, and Hetfield sustained no serious injuries.
In 2000, Metallica sued the file-sharing service Napster after finding a demo of its song "I Disappear" and its entire catalogue freely available on the network. The band alleged copyright infringement and other violations, and the dispute eventually reached a settlement before Napster filed for bankruptcy in 2002.
Metallica's self-titled 1991 album, known as The Black Album, has sold more than 16 million copies in the United States, making it the best-selling album of the SoundScan era. It debuted at number one in 10 countries and sold 650,000 units in the U.S. in its first week.
Metallica has sold more than 163 million albums worldwide, making it one of the most commercially successful bands of all time. It is the third-best-selling music artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, having sold 58 million albums in the United States.
Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the 4th of April 2009, the second year it was eligible and the first year it was nominated. Ray Burton, father of the late Cliff Burton, accepted the honor on his behalf.