Python History: Origin, Name and Python 3

THE IDEA

Understand the concept

Guido van Rossum began creating Python at CWI in the Netherlands during the 1989 Christmas holidays. He wanted a scripting language that was easy to extend and useful for work on the Amoeba operating system. Ideas from the earlier ABC language also shaped Python.

Van Rossum shared Python publicly through USENET in February 1991. He chose the name after Monty Python's Flying Circus, a comedy series whose scripts he was reading. The programming language was not named after the snake.

Python 3.0 arrived in December 2008. That was a major new version, not Python's first public appearance. The examples in this learning path use Python 3, so keep the 1991 and 2008 milestones separate. In the timeline below, each print() call displays one line of text; you will explore print() in the next lesson.

1989 start; February 1991 public sharing
Named after Monty Python's Flying Circus
Python 3.0 arrived in December 2008

WORKED EXAMPLES

See it step by step

Read the code, predict the output, then compare it with the result.

01. Two early milestones

PYTHON

print("1989: Python begins")
print("February 1991: Python is shared publicly")

EXPECTED OUTPUT

1989: Python begins
February 1991: Python is shared publicly

Each print() call adds one timeline line. Python began in 1989 and was publicly shared in February 1991.

02. Name and major version

PYTHON

print("Named after Monty Python's Flying Circus")
print("Python 3.0 arrived in 2008")

EXPECTED OUTPUT

Named after Monty Python's Flying Circus
Python 3.0 arrived in 2008

The comedy show inspired the name; the 2008 Python 3.0 release was a later milestone.

HANDS-ON

Try it in Python

Edit the example and run it. Python starts in your browser the first time you click Run.

Python console

Ready to run

print("Python timeline")
print("1989: Guido van Rossum starts Python")
print("1991: Python is shared publicly")
print("2008: Python 3.0 is released")

Need input()? Add one value per line

Input lines

Ctrl / ⌘ + Enter to run

OUTPUT

Your output appears here.

Your turnChange the 1991 line to say February 1991. Then add a print() line explaining where the name Python came from. Run your timeline and check its facts against the lesson.

Need a hint?

First edit the existing 1991 string so it says 'February 1991'. Then add a separate print() call that names Monty Python's Flying Circus as the inspiration.

Complete the task and select Check task to verify your code.

KNOWLEDGE CHECK

Quick quiz

Three questions. You can change your answers and try again.

DEBUG BETTER

Typical mistakes

These timeline lines run without errors, but their claims are wrong. Check facts as carefully as code.

Assuming the name means snake

COMMON MISTAKE

print("Python was named after a snake.")

FIX

print("Python was named after Monty Python.")

What happens: The code runs, but the historical claim is false.
A program can run successfully and still print incorrect information. Check the fact as well as the syntax.

Mixing up 1991 and 2008