Ever wondered how English – with 1.5 billion speakers in all corners of the world and approximately 750,000 words – came to be the wonderfully expressive and multifaceted language it is today? Unlike languages that developed within the boundaries of one country (or one distinct geographical region), English, since its beginnings 1,600 or so years ago, evolved by crossing boundaries and through invasions, picking up bits and pieces of other languages along the way and changing with the spread of the language across the globe. Discover some fascinating facts and origins of some well known words and sayings.