C++ is a programming language created by Bjarne Stroustrup and his team at Bell Laboratories in 1979. Forty years later, it is one of the most widely used languages in the world; we can find C++ applications everywhere, from the bottom of the oceans to the surface of Mars.

As the name implies, C++ was derived from the C language; Bjarne’s goal was to add object-oriented programming into C, a language well-respected for its portability and low-level functionality.

So why learn C++? Among many other things:

• It is fast and flexible.
• It is well-supported.
• It forces you to think in new and creative ways.

In this lesson, we’ll start learning some basic concepts, and you’ll write your very first C++ program.

Note: Don’t worry if some words don’t make much sense right now. We’ll learn about them in a bit!