Thomas,

Thanks! you did far too much on this but it truly is interesting and appreciated. Amazing how a message asking that states codes not be mandatory can shift < s >.

SNIP
>
>There are many things we learned in school, grammar through high school, that were far from true. Even in college we did not study “reality”, but rather some glamorized concept of history.
SNIP
Yes, I was was a 'victim' in one particular case that I found quite embarrassing... The English school system in Quebec taught that 'it is strictly because of the great report by Lord Durham (early 1840s) that French was preserved and Canada has two official languages today'.
This was taught in grades 5 or 6 and again in grade 10, in both cases with that content on the matter.

As I feel anyone would who was told (taught) such, one would surmise that it was the report itself that recommended that two distinct languages be kept. Turns out it was quite the EXACT opposite - The good Lord recommended that French be abolished promptly and that the French population be absorbed into the English culture. This led to such outrage that it's opposite was implemented.

Again, thanks for the history.

JimN