In some ways I think Python is the thought cousin of Pascal. Philosophically, Python is a living language and plans to adapt with or without downward compatibility to implement improvements in design or methodology.

My interaction with Fortran was in a high school summer program in 84; we were supposed to input a Fortran program to calculate predicted flight times for model rockets. I translated it into BASIC and ran it on an AppleII in some secretary's computer at the college. -smirk- I won the award for best predicted average flight time for my two rockets.