Q: When was this game released?
A: In October of 1985 for L.A. and New York City, early 1986 for everyone else.
Q: Who made the game?
A: The guy who designed it is Shigeru Miyamoto, who also designed Donkey Kong.
Q: Was there also an arcade version?
A: Yes.
Q: How would I get an NES version?
A: Look for trade-in video game stores. These are usually the best bet 'cause they have old NES games nobody wants. Also, you can try new video game stores, which have old NES, Game Boy and SNES games wrapped up in clear plastic and hung up on those horizontal wire thingees.
Q: I don't have an NES. Can I still play the game?
A: Sure, it's on Super Mario All-Stars for SNES and Wii (albeit the graphics have changed), as well as the Game Boy Advance's Classic NES Series. And, you can always go the emulation route.
Q: Anything else you can say about this game?
A: Well, the only one I can think of is that in Nintendo Power's 100th issue, they rated the top 100 video games of all time, and SMB1 was #14! Only problem is, this list came out in 1997, so there's hardly any N64 games, and no Gamecube or Game Boy Advance games. In Nintendo Power's list of the top 200 games, it came in at #9. WTF?