As someone currently learning C++ the biggest surprise was finding out about C++11/14. I'd assumed that the language hadn't changed for decades so it's great to see it still being updated.
Year Version Year-Delta
1983; 1.0; 0
1989; 2.0; +6 years
1998; C++98; +9 years (first ISO standard)
2003; C++03; +5 years (minor update)
2011; C++11; +8 years (major update)
2014; C++14; +3 years (minor update)
The C++14 version was the first that arrived on schedule. The next major version is planned for 2017. The future looks quite promising for C++.