Tube pin numbers were clockwise as seen from below, so I guess the people who first packaged ICs followed the CCW-from-above convention.
Big mistakes were physical symmetry and putting the ground pin in a corner [1]. TI introduced a logic series with Vccs and grounds on middle pins, but that didn't catch on.
I believe that every possible permutation of 1-2-3 pin numbers, CW and CCW, has been seen on various SOT-23 data sheets. And probably every possible SOT-143/343. People can't even decide on the physical location of the big pin, or what to number it. Some data sheets name the pins but don't number them. Some people offer part xxx and xxxR, with pins bent in opposite directions.
I'm doing a proto 4-layer board layout to test some oscillator circuits, and the SAV551 footprint just didn't look right. It isn't. I figure that there are 48 possibilities.
[1] with modern pick-and-place and inspection tools, rotated part errors hardly ever happen any more.