The creator of Python
In 1989, Guido van Rossum, a programmer at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI), a Dutch research center, started working on a successor to the ABC programming language. Rossum wanted his new programming language to be simple, clean, and easy to use.
Monty Python, the British comedy troupe, becomes an inspiration
While working on his new program, van Rossum would keep himself entertained by watching acts of the famous British comedy group, Monty Python. He loved Monty Python’s humor, ready wit, and the ability to present complex ideas in a fun and relatable manner.
One day, while working, van Rossum started watching Monty Python’s Flying Circus. That’s when the idea struck him – why not name his new program after the group?
Van Rossum felt Monty Python’s acts were fun, memorable, and infused with the exact exuberant spirit that he wanted his new language to have.
Thus, was born Python (not the snake!) – one of the most popular computing languages in the world with wide usage among the machine learning community.
So, every time someone writes a line of the Python code today, they can think back to the silly skits and absurd humor of Monty Python and remember that programming can be fun too.
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