The circumstances in which Python was created are a bit puzzling. According to Guido van Rossum:

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