The C spec is a half generation behind the Common LISP spec which set the standard for how you specify languages like Java and Python. The K&R book is poorly organized and the language contains various mistakes, such as the way the parser needs access to the symbol table that deform the C++ language today.
It was minimal, it was viable, and it was in the right place at the right time so it was available on old microcomputers, 8-bit micros, MS DOS, 32/64-bit, web assembly. It competes and wins against assembly code on the AVR-8 (where it boggles my mind how many cycles C wastes following calling conventions in my simple Arduino programs) because I can compile a C program for a much better performing board.
So it is with us more than FORTRAN, PASCAL, COBOL, assembler, etc.
