The History of Weird English Spelling

English is such a difficult language that we have contests and awards prizes to those who can spell words right. They don't do that in languages where spelling follows rules. English is so weird that you might read a certain word for years and years, then find out it isn't pronounced like you thought it was in your head. How did English get this way? As the language evolved, we imported words from other languages, and either changed them to conform with English rules, or we didn't. People with power sometimes latched onto a certain word and spelled or pronounced it differently, and that became that. Dr. Erica Brozovsky tells us a bit of the history that got English where it is now. (via Geeks Are Sexy)