Identify and describe one historical factor that contributed to the worldwide use of english

I'm not a History buff, but if I had to pick, I'd probably say Europe's far reach in colonialism and trade. The English have traveled to and either traded with or colonized most places on Earth. America, Australia, civilized parts of Africa, even places in the East. And then some of the countries populated by Englishmen became incredibly powerful, like America, or were really good with trading, like the Dutch.