Hey, Editor and Publisher. We are Americans (even if I personally lapse into British spellings a lot). We are most definitely not Cockneys. We do not drop our aitches.
Repeat after me, snob: "a historic." "A historic." There ya go.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Dropping aitches is not the exclusive purview of the Cockney, I recall going on a tour of St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle as a young boy and our guide, a well heeled member of the clergy with a very aristocratic accent, proceeded to drop every aitch but put an aitch on every word beginning with a vowel, so we were lectured, for instance, on "'Enery the Heightve" and "Hedward the Confessor"
Before its independence, Jamaica's British influence was most often felt in the school system. A little boy came running to his teacher, crying, "Teacha! 'arry 'it me in de 'ead wid a 'ammer." The teacher was incredulous. "Hemphasize the haitch, you hignorant hass!"
What're you, 18F, some kinda hoidy-toidy 'r somethin'? It's wot I was taught in grade school...but used only with certain words. I wouldn't say it was an hard habit to break though. :o)
(I still have trouble hearing people use the aitch when discussing herbs.)