Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Wii Remote was officially revealed at the Tokyo Game Show on the 14th of September 2005. Its final form was subsequently unveiled at E3 2006 where it received immediate attention for its unique features.
The Wii Remote uses an Analog Devices MEMS-based three-dimensional accelerometer to sense acceleration along three axes and an optical sensor from PixArt to detect infrared light emitted from the Sensor Bar. This setup allows the Wii Remote to function as an accurate pointing device up to 5 meters away from the Sensor Bar.
Nintendo issued a product recall for the wrist straps because reports emerged that the strap tended to break under heavy use, potentially sending the Wii Remote flying and causing injury. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission became involved in the replacement program and units with thicker straps began to appear on the 8th of December 2006.
The Wii Remote and Nunchuk combined sold over 8.5 million units in the United States and took the top two spots in video game accessories sales in 2006. The Nunchuk was the best-selling video game hardware for January 2008 with 375,000 units sold.
Nintendo lost a patent infringement lawsuit against iLife Technologies in August 2017 where a jury ruled in favor of iLife Technologies and forced Nintendo to pay $144 million in damages. The United States Court of Appeals upheld the jury's decision in December 2017 before a federal court overturned the judgement in January 2020.