Mac shows Windows glyphs okay in old T1 fonts ... but how?

In the years I've been using Macs, I've become rather familiar with the
glyphs available in the older, pre-OpenType fonts. For instance, I know ...
or at least I thought I knew ... that the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 fractions are not
included in most fonts. Note that by "most fonts" I refer to older,
non-Unicode fonts, like the Type 1 and older TrueTypes we have had for years.

In the following discussions, be aware that I have no dfonts installed other
than LucidaGrande, LastResort, and Keyboard. Any reference to a common font
like Verdana or Times New Roman is a TrueType shipped during OS9 days.

PART 1 ==================================================================
Someone sent me a Windows Word doc with a 1/4 fraction character created with
TrueType Times New Roman. It shows up fine in Mac Word 2004, and remains 1/4
no matter what font I change it to (other than, say, Symbol or Zapf
Dingbats). This includes even Chicago and Geneva. This is not a 1-slash-4
combination.

How is it that I can see it as 1/4 in a font that doesn't have that glyhp?


PART 2 ================================================================== I
was on a Web site using Safari and saw a 1/2 fraction on the screen in
Verdana font.

- In Safari, a view source shows the fraction. The font in the source window
is the old, OS9-era Monaco.

- If I paste the text into Illustrator CS or Word 2004, it shows the
fraction. I can change the font to anything, even an old Type 1, and they
still show the fraction. Illustrator's Glyph palette shows fractions for old
T1s as well.

So, again, how is it that it works in so many situations, and how is it that
even Illustrator's Glyph palette includes it?

.

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