Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first known sailing vessel to cross an ocean was a double-hulled Polynesian voyaging canoe known as a wa'a kaulua. This vessel carried Austronesian peoples from Taiwan to New Zealand between 3000 and 1500 BC.
The carrack emerged as the most capable ocean-going ship by the 15th century. This vessel combined a high rounded stern with a large aftcastle and forecastle to provide stability in heavy seas.
Some ships of the line had a complement as high as 850 crew members. The crew was organized to stand watch typically four hours each due to the complexity of managing the rigging.
The largest example of such ships was the five-masted full-rigged ship Preussen. This vessel had a load capacity of 7,800 tonnes and was introduced in 1875.
The last commercial sailing vessel ceased to trade by 1950. Commercial sailing vessels could still be found working into the 20th century although in reducing numbers and only in certain trades.
The DynaRig was developed in the 1960s in Germany. This system allowed central automated control of all sails in a manner that obviates the need for sending crew aloft.