Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Supremes began in 1959 as the Primettes with Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown, all from the Brewster-Douglass public housing project in Detroit. Barbara Martin replaced McGlown in 1960, and after Martin left in 1962 the group continued as a trio of Ross, Ballard, and Wilson.
The Supremes had twelve number 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, making them the most successful American vocal group. Their first was "Where Did Our Love Go" in 1964 and their last was "Someday We'll Be Together", which was also the final number 1 hit of the 1960s.
Diana Ross left the Supremes in 1970 to pursue a solo career that Motown had been planning since 1969. Her solo career was first reported by the Detroit Free Press on the 2nd of November 1969, and the group gave its final performance with her on the 14th of January 1970 at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas.
Florence Ballard struggled with depression and excessive drinking as Diana Ross became the group's focal point, and Berry Gordy dismissed her in 1967, replacing her with Cindy Birdsong. Her release from Motown was finalized on the 22nd of February 1968 with a payment of US$139,804.94, and she died on the 22nd of February 1976 from a cardiac arrest at the age of 32.
Most of the Supremes' biggest hits were written and produced by the Motown team Holland-Dozier-Holland, beginning with "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" in 1963. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson wrote most of the group's earlier material.
The Supremes disbanded in 1977, eighteen years after forming, after their farewell concert at the Drury Lane Theater in London on the 12th of June 1977. When Mary Wilson left for a solo career, Motown decided that without any original members the group would be disbanded.
The Tony Award-winning musical Dreamgirls, which opened on Broadway on the 21st of December 1981, is loosely based on the history of the Supremes and Motown. Mary Wilson loved the musical, while Diana Ross was reportedly angered by it and refused to see it.