Short answers, pulled from the story.
The word radome emerged in 1941 as a portmanteau of radar and dome. It describes a structural enclosure that shields a radar antenna from weather while remaining transparent to radio waves.
Walter Bird constructed the first pneumatic air-supported structure at the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory in 1948. That project marked history's initial attempt at building an inflatable dome for radar purposes.
Engineers chose materials like fiberglass or PTFE-coated fabric because they allow signals to pass through without interference. Fiberglass became the dominant choice after World War II due to its strength and signal transparency.
Mont Ventoux in France hosts a spherical dome protecting a mountain-top radar installation from harsh weather. The shape varies from spherical to geodesic depending on the specific application needs.
Pleumeur-Bodou in France housed a radome protecting the PB1 antenna receiving TV streams from Telstar satellites in 1962. That specific structure now stands as a museum while its American counterpart was dismantled decades ago.