Hello, it was likely I, nathan, who told you this. As explained to PJ and Eli it is generally the more open and oldest move for white. In pushing the e-file pawn up two you open up diagnols for your bishop and queen as well as occupy the e4 square (while attack the d5 and f5 squares.)
This gives the bishop a right of way to b5 or its more natural square c4. Aggressive players may even opt to play the king's gambit in hopes of having 2 well places bishops and 2 developed knights. Which gives edge in piece development.
The queen's pawn (though has lines of its own that can be equally agressive) is generally considered passive in the old school of chess (yay Tarrasch!) and only opens the diagnol for one bishop while the queen (and later the knight) will usually be defending the pawn. A queen's gambit can be employed here too with similar ideas to the king's gambit.
The third generally accepted opening is Nf3 (which if you play against me you will probably see me play) it is the Reti opening, and takes advantage of first turn in developing a piece, and leaves white with a lot of options (either for main and sidelines or to transpose into another position, most often the king's indian attack).
There are of course things to do with the pawn openings other than the gambiting lines, but I put them in for example.
If you want a lesson I can teach you during lunch time :)
I haven't been playing chess for very long, at least competetively, and a friend of mine told me that a great opening for a beginner is the King's pawn two spaces forward. Is this true?