Could anyone explain why "an" is used with "historic". I understand the rule of "a" when the word begins with a vowel, and "an" when beginning with a consonant, exception being "an" for words with a silent "h" (i.e. hour). I cannot find anyone who can explain this reasonably.

genbot
i've heard that when the stress is on the second syllable of an "h" word, a becomes an, as in "historic".
but, like "whom", most people don't bother these days.

Welcome, genbot!

The 'an historic' question came up in an older thread titled
Need Help w/ trivia question, under Q&A. Look for the posts
from around June 21st. Hope these shed some light, she said
brightly.

> Hope these shed some light, she said brightly.

Tom Swift, you let Jackie go this instant, he said momentarily.

>>Tom Swift, you let Jackie go this instant, he said momentarily.

"In just a minute", he responded instantaneously.

>Tom Swift, you let Jackie go this instant, he said momentarily.

"An," he said histrionically.