Martin Odersky talks to Bill Venners about the origins of Scala [1]. He explains how he became interested in computer compilers and language design, the influence of functional programming and the excitement everyone felt on the arrival of Java in 1995. You can begin to understand the motivation that led to Pizza and the design of Java Generics while also gaining an insight into the drive to give programmers a better language. He discusses some of the complex set of constraints that made the task a real challenge and why Scala was born. For anyone interested in Scala this interview gives a fascinating insight into the influences that made Scala what it is today.
Links:
[1] http://www.artima.com/scalazine/articles/origins_of_scala.html