I think that drop caps, while very old school, are elegant, very cool, and add a bit of interest to an otherwise boring page of text. This is a rather simple effect to create using a bit of HTML code that is wrapped around the first character typed on this page. In order to demonstrate the full effect of drop-caps to the younger students of HTML who might not have seen this use in digital print media, I need to compose an entire paragraph that spans below the bottom of my first character. There, I think I have done it!

To add a fancy, elegant visual style to your paragraphs (while keeping your text and design accessible!), frame the first letter within your <p> with a <span> tag, as below:

<p><span style="float: left; width: 0.7em; font-size: 400%; font-family: algerian, courier; line-height: 80%;">I</span>n 65, your text here...</p>

Encasing the initial "I" inside the <span> tag doesn't upset the apple cart for screen readers - it's still just the first letter of the word, and it'll be read as such. (Tested with Chrome Speak).

Anatomy of Code Snippet

How to Make This Happen

Select and copy the code snippet above,
Because drop-caps are typically only used one at the top of a page, or maybe for the start of a new section of a page, create a new Content page, go to Edit mode and switch to the HTML Editor,
Paste the code at the top of the page,
Modify the code, by replacing the green highlighted "I" with the first letter of your first sentence, then
Replace the pink highlighted text with the start the remainder of that first sentence. This will act as a placeholder for when you return to the RCE and finish adding content to your page.