JavaScript was created in the 1990s at Netscape to enable interactivity in web browsers. It was influenced by languages like Self and Scheme. JavaScript was standardized by ECMA International to foster adoption beyond Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. The language has evolved through several standards over the years, with ES6/ES2015 being the latest version adding features like classes, modules, and iterators. New transpilers allow use of upcoming JavaScript features before full browser support.