> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cpb.gitbook.io/book/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cpb.gitbook.io/book/languages/python/history.md).

# History

## Creation

Python started out as a "hobby programming project" in December 1989 by Guido van Rossum at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) in the Netherlands. Internal releases of python appeared at CWI in 1990. Python was released to the public for the first time on February 20, 1991.

## Purpose

On how python began written by van Rossum in 1996:

> ...In December 1989, I was looking for a "hobby" programming project that would keep me occupied during the week around Christmas. My office ... would be closed, but I had a home computer, and not much else on my hands. I decided to write an interpreter for the new scripting language I had been thinking about lately: a descendant of ABC that would appeal to Unix/C hackers. I chose Python as a working title for the project, being in a slightly irreverent mood (and a big fan of Monty Python's Flying Circus).  — Guido van Rossum

Python was supposed to be a successor to the ABC language capable of handling exceptions and interfacing with the Amoeba operating system. But with its strong emphasis on being "programmer friendly" it quickly evolved as a popular choice of language among programmers for development and fast prototyping. The reasons are mentioned in the following sections.