The "u" in non-american english

[thanny]

you spell glamour with a u dont you?

I believe it was America that dropped that u as opposed to everyone else picking it up. Assuming that is true, it is just like anything else in the english language; there are many, many cases where pronounciation has changed over time but the spelling has stayed the same, resulting in what seems like an odd way to spell a word.

On a seperate note, ive never been able to understand why Americans pronounce aluminium so incorrectly...