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Content Created: February 8, 2000 / Updated: February 8, 2000
| Years (AD) | Century |
|---|---|
| 1-100 | First |
| 101-200 | Second |
| 201-300 | Third |
| 301-400 | Fourth |
| 401-500 | Fifth |
| 501-600 | Sixth |
| 601-700 | Sevent |
| 701-800 | Eighth |
| 801-900 | Ninth |
| 901-1000 | Tenth |
| 1001-1100 | Eleventh |
| 1101-1200 | Twelveth |
| 1201-1300 | Thirteenth |
| 1301-1400 | Fourteenth |
| 1401-1500 | Fifteenth |
| 1501-1600 | Sixteenth |
| 1601-1700 | Seventeenth |
| 1701-1800 | Eighteenth |
| 1801-1900 | Nineteenth |
| 1901-2000 | Twentieth |
| 2001-2100 | Twenty-First |
Yes, it's a common assumption that the 21st Century (and 3rd Millennium) started on January 1, 2000. Yes, I used to think the same. And yes, I'm quite surprised at the number of people who should know better and still think that. The date for both of those actually starts January 1 of 2001, and there is a very logical way to explain this:
The Gregorian Calendar (which is the one most of the world, including the United States, uses) started with the year 1 AD. There was no year 0. Immediately preceding 1 AD was 1 BC. (This is because of the way the Gregorian calendar was calculated, a few hundred years after 1 AD by a monk named Dionysus Exiguus. The concept of zero wasn't really known in Europe at the time.)
A century is a span of 100 years. The Gregorian calendar started with 1 AD, so the First Century encompasses the years 1 AD - 100 AD. The Second Century started at the beginning of 101 AD. The Third was 201 AD to 300 AD, and so on. So the Twentieth Century stretches from Jan 1, 1901 to Dec 31, 2000.
Likewise, the First Millennium went from 1 AD to 1000 AD. The Second stretches from 1001 AD to 2000 AD. We still have a few months to go, as of this writing.
(If you define your own arbitrary millennium, sure you can have it end Dec 31, 1999. But that's not the Gregorian calendar!!!)
Of course, "Y2K" is what computers care about, not the turn of the century. It's the fact that the last two digits of this year are less than they were last year, and that confuses some computer programs. Since we're still here with little effects, it seems that not too many critical computers had trouble with the conversion. (Of course, there were localized effects, and there undoubtedly will be more over the next year or so.)
So Jan 1, 2000 wasn't of no significance, it's just that the Millennium isn't over yet.
Another good article on this (that goes into the fact that while the Twentieth Century is not over with yet, the 1900s are certainly done with) is found at the "This is True" web site. (Actually, you should go there and subscribe to that free mailing list, which highlights odd, true news stories on a weekly basis. And then also sign up for Randy Cassingham's other free mailing list, HeroicStories, which highlights everyday heroes thrice a week.
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