Ruby is a dynamic, open-source programming language known for its simplicity and productivity, created by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto in the mid-1990s. Released in 1995, Ruby was designed with a focus on making programming enjoyable and natural for developers, prioritizing human needs over machine efficiency. Matsumoto blended elements from multiple languages like Perl, Smalltalk, Eiffel, and Lisp to create Ruby, aiming for a language that was both object-oriented and easy to write.