C# is a multi-paradigm programming language encompassing imperative, declarative, functional, generic, object-oriented (class-based), and component-oriented programming disciplines. Anders Hejlsberg led and leads the Microsoft development team of the C# as part of the Microsoft .NET initiative and designed for the .NEt Common Language Infrastructure. A detailed history may be found on Wikipedia.
C# has been described as a combination of Java and C++, with improvements. As Anders, also developed Borland Delphi, I hold that there is a large component of Delphi in C# - its single object reference model, its object hierarchy, Interfaces and more. C# corrects many of the problems of its ancestors and Micorsoft is developing the language further. Current version is 7.