Programming languages allow humans to communicate with computers and come in many types that are constantly changing. Early computers included the Difference Engine and ENIAC. Von Neumann introduced key programming concepts. Grace Hopper created the first compiler. Popular early languages included Fortran, Cobol, and Lisp. C was developed by Dennis Ritchie and is widely used today. Object oriented programming organizes code around objects rather than actions. Modern languages like Java, Python, C++, Objective-C, Haskell, SQL, Javascript, Perl and more are used across industries for various applications. Intellectual property and licensing govern software ownership and use, while careers in programming span roles like programming, architecture, development and security.