In addition to having widespread use in all styles and musical genres, it is also usually the first instrument that any new musician wants to have (or by which he spends his holidays begging his parents). All you need to play a handful of popular songs is to learn some basic chords and exercise the rhythm a bit. What makes the guitar more striking is still its rich and complex story. While the roots of the guitar are somewhat known, it is likely that you will be surprised with other aspects of the evolution of the instrument.