Perlin noise was made by Ken Perlin in 1983. He made it because when computers created pictures that were supposed to look natural, they didn't look very good. Noise can be used to draw things that look natural, like clouds or smoke. It helps computer artists draw patterns that look more real.

In 1997, Perlin was awarded an Academy Award for Technical Achievement for discovering the algorithm:

To Ken Perlin for the development of Perlin Noise, a technique used to produce natural appearing textures on computer generated surfaces for motion picture visual effects. The development of Perlin Noise has allowed computer graphics artists to better represent the complexity of natural phenomena in visual effects for the motion picture industry.^[1]