Over the past few centuries, English has become one of the most widely used languages in the world. Many countries have adopted it as their official language, and those that haven't still make sure to still teach it. The history of how English came to be where it is today is quite an interesting tale.
English is the main language used in nearly all industry, such as science and business. Even in other countries, often the scientific texts are written in English, or at least have some parts in English. This is just another example of the languages dominance throughout the world.
English certainly is the most prominent language of the Earth, but it is not the language most people learn when they are born. This is because China has a massive population, and their native language is Mandarin Chinese. Since most of them learn English as a second language, English is still either the first or second most spoken language in existence.
English had a long evolution, starting with Old English in the fifth century. Old English was so distinct that it seems like a different language, but one can see subtle similarities to modern English in it. The most famous work written in Old English was the epic tale of Beowulf.
If you are familiar with The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, you are familiar with the next form of English, known as Middle English. This form of English came about after the Norman Conquest of 1066. After that, English began being influenced by new peoples including the French, and this was a crucial point in the language's growth.
Between 1470 and 1650, England used what is known as Early Modern English. This was the time of Shakespeare, who used a special form known as Elizabethan English. After 1650, what we know as today's English began to form rapidly.
As with all languages, English is continually evolving, with some words being stricken and new ones being added. In ones lifetime, it is difficult to see any drastic changes in a language, but over a long period of time, the vast changes are apparent.
It has only been recently that English became so prominent, so there is always a chance that another language could overtake it. Due to the prominence of English speaking countries such as the United States and England, it is unlikely that anything like this will happen in the near future.
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