Python Tutorial

History of Python

Learn the history of Python, who created it, why it was named Python, how Python 1, 2, and 3 evolved, and why Python 3 is used today.

Who created Python?

Python was created by Guido van Rossum, a Dutch programmer. He began working on the language at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) in the Netherlands. The project grew from his interest in building a practical scripting language that was easier to read and extend than many alternatives of the time.

How did Python begin?

Development started around the 1989 holiday period, and the first public Python release, version 0.9.0, appeared in February 1991. That release already included several ideas that shaped Python: functions, modules, exception handling, dynamic typing, and useful built-in data types.

Python’s early design was influenced by ABC, a language developed at CWI. Guido wanted to keep the useful ideas while creating a language that was open to extension, practical for scripting, and comfortable to use for larger programs.

Why is it called Python?

The name comes from Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the British comedy series. Guido van Rossum wanted a name that was short, memorable, and slightly unusual. The name refers to the comedy show, not to the snake, although the snake is now a well-known part of Python’s visual identity.

Important goals behind Python

Readable code: Syntax and indentation make the structure of a program easy to see.
Developer productivity: Built-in collections and a standard library reduce repetitive code.
Extensibility: Python can work with native extensions, operating-system tools, databases, and other languages.
Multiple programming styles: Developers can use procedural, object-oriented, and functional techniques.
Open development: A public community and open-source process allow people to improve the language and its ecosystem.

Python version timeline

Version family	Period	What it introduced
Python 0.9.0	1991	Early public release with functions, modules, exceptions, and dynamic typing.
Python 1.x	1994–2000	Established the language’s core syntax, standard modules, and readability-focused design.
Python 2.0	2000	Added features including list comprehensions, Unicode support, and cyclic garbage collection.
Python 3.0	2008	Introduced a cleaner language design, a print function, improved division, and stronger Unicode behavior.
Python 3.x	2008–present	Continues to receive language improvements, performance work, security fixes, and library updates.

Python 2 and Python 3

Python 2 was widely used for many years, but it reached its official end of life on 1 January 2020. New applications should use Python 3 because Python 2 no longer receives normal security or maintenance updates.

Python 3 made several intentional compatibility changes, including using print() as a function, making text and binary data distinct, and changing division behavior. These changes created a cleaner foundation for future development.

Recent Python development

Python continues to release a feature series followed by maintenance releases. Python 3.14 is the current feature series in this tutorial’s environment, and Python 3.14.6 was released on 10 June 2026. The 3.14 series includes improvements such as officially supported free-threaded builds, deferred annotation evaluation, template string literals, multiple interpreters in the standard library, and the new compression.zstd module.

Release numbers change over time, so check the official Python documentation by version and the Python downloads page before installing a runtime for a new project.

Python today

Python is now used for web services, automation, data analysis, scientific computing, artificial intelligence, testing, education, and software tooling. Its history explains why the language remains popular: it combines a small and readable core with a community-driven ecosystem that can grow with new types of applications.