From: Gary Britt 

It probably relates back to the old "proof reader/book editor"
conventions used in the pre-computer days for manually marking revisions to
text to be made by the typing pool/secretary.

Gary

Rich wrote:
>    Underscores for italics are a convention that predates thunderbird.
> For one example, see
> http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Volunteers%27_FAQ#V.94._What_should_I
_do_with_italics.3F.
>  From what I read it appears the convention goes back to the days of
> typewriters where italics were indicated by underlining the text.
>
> Rich
>
>
>     "Gary Britt"      > wrote in message
>     news:4599d4b0$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>     Thanks and thanks to Greg as well.
>
>     Gregg is right about this not being standard.  Thunderbird
>     interprets the
>     codes as indicated, but MS Word 2000 interprets _  _ as codes for
>     italics.
>     Certainly makes more sense for it to be underline.
>
>     Thanks,
>
>     Gary
>
>     Ellen K. wrote:
>     >  I think _underline_ is underline and /italic/ is italic.
>     >
>     >  On Mon, 01 Jan 2007 19:14:23 -0500, Gary Britt
>     >       > wrote in message
>     >  >:
>     >
>     > > A while back somebody posted to me that using * as in *Bold This*
>     provides a
>     > > reader with noted emphasis and in some programs like Thunderbird
>     and Word,
>     > > etc. the words enclosed by * * actually appear as bold.  Also, I
>     remember
>     > > _Italic_ turns stuff into italics in word, but what is the code
>     for underline.
>     > >
>     > > In this same message the codes for underline and italics were also
>     > > mentioned, but I've lost my reference to them.  Could somebody
>     please post
>     > > the equivalent codes to *This is Bold* for italics and underline?
>     > >
>     > > Thanks,
>     > >
>     > > Gary
>     >

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