Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Michelin Guide was first published in 1900 by brothers Édouard and André Michelin to encourage driving and increase tire wear. The initial free guide contained maps, tire repair instructions, and lists of hotels and petrol stations for French motorists.
The guide started awarding stars in 1926 with an initial single-star system. The cover changed from blue to red in 1931 when the hierarchy of zero, one, two, and three stars was introduced.
Pascal Rémy is a veteran France-based Michelin inspector who wrote the book L'Inspecteur se met à table published in 2004. His employment was terminated in December 2003 when he informed Michelin of his plans to publish the book and his subsequent court case for unfair dismissal was unsuccessful.
The first American guide was published in 2005 covering 500 restaurants in New York City and 50 hotels in Manhattan. The guide plans to cover the American South including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee in 2025.
Tourism board Meet Boston reportedly paid over $1 million for three years of coverage sourced from hotel surcharges in Boston and neighboring Cambridge, Massachusetts. The guide announced plans to expand to Boston and Philadelphia on the 12th of May 2025.
The Michelin Guide ended printed copies in 2021 in most markets after 121 years of operation. The company transitioned to digital publication and released a proprietary app to distribute the guide to a larger audience at no charge.