There are  many 
research papers ,articles ,books and 
other common conclusion about the history of English for Specific
Purposes .I would name just a few ,like :,,English for Specific Purposes, Tom
Hutchinson and Alan Waters, ,,The handbook of English for Specific Purposes
”Brian Paltridge , ,,Development in English for Specific Purposes. A multi –
disciplinary approach.”, Dudley- Evans and St Johns, 1998, Strevens, etc.
According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), it was only after the World War when
ESP started to be required by learners of English language. They believe that
there are some factors like: rapid scientific, technical and economic development,
that made USA economically powerful and English played a key role. Due to new
circumstances English was not seen only as a language learned for reputation of
knowing a language or for fun but it became a need in the world of business and
trade.

According to, Tom Hutchinson and Alan
Waters

             … as English became the accepted
international language of technology and             commerce,      it created a new generation of learners
who knew specifically why             they
were learning a language – businessmen and women who wanted to sell             their    products, mechanics who had to read the instruction manuals,
doctors             who     needed to keep up with developments in their
field and a whole range of             students
        whose course of study included
textbooks and journals only available         in English.       “(Tom Hutchinson, Alan Waters, 1987, p.6.)

On the other hand there are
researchers and other scholars who came to different conclusions. Moreover,
A.P.R Howatt and Richard Smith (May 2014) state that, due to the fact that
there is not much published in this field it is quite difficult to specify the
exact beginning of the ESP. However, they do not object the fact that there
were some attempts to modernize the teaching of English and relate it to
various groups of learners .ESP did not come into sight at once, as it was not
welcomed everywhere, this was very difficult to resist due to the rapid
increasing role of the language internationally and the demands for this type
of instruction.