Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first Pro Football Hall of Fame Game took place on the 11th of August 1962. It featured a tie between the New York Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
Teams are chosen by the league well before the rest of the preseason schedule is released. Announcements typically coincide with Super Bowl week when new Hall of Fame members are revealed.
The 2016 edition scheduled between the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts faced cancellation due to unsafe field conditions. Paint used on the synthetic FieldTurf had not dried properly causing rubber infill to melt under stadium lights.
From 1970 to 1997 ABC broadcast it as part of Monday Night Football or Wide World of Sports packages. Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell hosted many broadcasts during that era.
The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers hold records with seven appearances each since 1962. Chicago Bears lead all franchises with five wins while Washington Redskins Commanders also claim five victories.