English period witnessed the first time that English was spoken around the world, but still it was not nearly as widely distributed as it is today.
Today English is widely taught around the world as a second language. (The number of native speakers of English is not very large at all, compared to Spanish or Chinese, it's worth noting.) The emergence of the United States as a global power after WWII (incl. the strong economy and the enduring military presence of American soldiers in many countries around the world) took the globalization of English one step further. Still, British English is still widely taught as the prestige form in classrooms around the world.There's a lot more to say, of course. If you ask for more (e.g. by 'message'), I'll gladly do what I can to help.