The C programming language was created by this American computer scientist.

Dennis Ritchie created the C programming language because he saw a need for a versatile and efficient programming language to develop the UNIX operating system at Bell Labs in the 1970s. Collaborating with Ken Thompson, Ritchie designed C as an improvement over the existing B programming language, making it more powerful and suitable for system programming tasks. His contributions to C, including its key features like pointers and data structures, played a significant role in shaping modern computer programming and software development, solidifying Ritchie's legacy as a pioneering American computer scientist.