A Word on the Words: A historic or an historic?

I’M sorry, I know I’ve complained about this before but so many more examples keep popping up.

It’s the use of “an” in “an historic”.

I absolutely hate this. It’s right up there on my list of heinous crimes alongside queue-jumping, dropping litter and the abuse of apostrophes.

A football report on radio last week told me – twice – that “an historic” result had been achieved. I almost wept.

I didn’t think the result had been overly remarkable anyway, but we’ll save my rant about hyperbole for another day.

The thing is, I don’t think anyone would say “an hysterical” or “an hippopotamus. So why “an historic”? Or “an hotel”, which is another H word often subject to this cruel treatment.

I don’t believe there is a cogent argument for using “an” when the word doesn’t start with a vowel sound.

If there is one, then someone please tell me what it is.

Come on. Anyone? No? I didn’t think so.

It is just lazy, or (worse) done as repetition of some other idiot doing it.

Is this what the world has come to? Idiots say stupid things and other idiots mimic them until we are all idiots?