@JoA-RHU it comes from the original Gcode specification, see https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=823374
Feed rate is set in units per minute, and can be mm, inches or degrees. When the specification was drawn up, most CNC machines were mills and other slower moving, machining tools. Inches per mm would have made a lot of decimal points. Also feed rate for most tooling is specified in inches/mm per minute.
Units per second has only become more useful with the advent of faster axes, and is somewhat limited to 3D printers. There's no particular advantage, yet, to change over, particularly as any conversion (usually just for the users benefit) can be done in software, eg the Gcode preview in most slicers show the speed as mm per second.
Ian