The British Empire and the iPhone are some of the biggest reasons English is so widespread today

Some of you may wonder why English is such a popular language worldwide today. While there are many reasons, here are some of the biggest.

The British Empire refers to the period between roughly the late 15th to 17th century and the 1960s, when England had vast territories and colonies all over the world. Essentially, this was when England controlled large portions of Europe, North America, Africa and the West Indies.

You can imagine how English would’ve spread globally with such an enormous empire.

The second big English boost occurred with the rise of the U.S. in the 20th century, when the country became one of the biggest international players in social, economic and political affairs.

Lastly, many of the recent technological and scientific advancements have come from English-speaking countries. Just consider international words like internet and iPhone.