Machine Learning Frameworks

Hi,

I started this thread because of my curiosity. I'm new to machine learning and have just finished the course on machine learning by Nick Petit.

It seems to me that python was the most robust framework for machine learning. Looks like it's the first place where machine learning projects start. I am curious what makes python a great starting place for machine learning ? And why not other programming languages like php or js ? Machine learning frameworks are also sprouting out here

for js https://dzone.com/articles/8-machine-learning-javascript-frameworks-to-explor

Would using a machine learning framework outside of python be anywhere less beneficial in terms of capability and features? Am i missing anything if i work outside of python programming environment ?

I'm not looking for specific answers to which is best. I'm love to understand some history at least for machine learning and how it leads to the stage today.