THE 21ST. CENTURY STARTED IN 2001 not 2000
This is what I sent to the media in the beginning of 2010 when everybody welcomed the new decade.
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"NEW DECADE ? Really ?
Here we go again, like the mistake about the year 2000 being the start of the 21st. century ! The 21st. century started in 2001 not 2000 !
And because of that mistake, they tell us now that 2010 is the new decade
(2000-2009 being, in their mind, the first decade : a decade that end with nine ! )
Associated Press, ABC news, CNN, every media, stores, all we hear is "The new decade." "Best movies of the last decade", "Take advantage of these rates for the new decade", etc.
In reality the new decade (of the 21 st century) will begin in 2011.
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The above is what I wrote in january 2010......
and now one year has passed….
And here we are now, in the REAL new decade: 2011
Will they ignore 2011 ? or will they celebrate the new decade…again ! ? (this time they will be correct)
So, let's revisit the controversy of 2000 vs 2001 and clarify the whole thing.
Psychological explanation:
I know that the year 2000 is a nice big round number, with three zeros no less, different from the 1900 we're were using for all OUR life; most of us, I should say all of us, were born in the 1900: some 1920's, some 1950's or later. We write, date, sign checks with 1900 something, so when 2000 comes along, with it's completely different number (no more 1900 something) it looks as is it's new, especially since we usually don't say for example "1994" but simply "94", "82" "76", etc, so 2000 seems even newer.
But the NUMBER is new, not the CENTURY.
Like it or not 2000 follows 1999; it is the last year of the century; it completes the century ! Without it there is no century (99 years is not a century).
You can check by doing the reverse:
If you claim that the 21st century started in the year 2000 then the last century started in 1900, right ? (2000-100 years=1900)
So all the centuries started with a round number, with a zero ?
Then before that it was : (I skip some years to be brief)
1800
1500
1200
1000
900
500
200
100 *
0
* So we come to the 2nd century which you believe started in the year 100, then it means the 1st century started in the year Zero ! (well, 100-100 = 0, right ?)
So you believe in the year zero ?
What part of "1 means first" don't you get ?
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In case you need a reality check:
Year 1, 2, 3, ...9,10 (last year of first decade)
Year 11 first year of second decade
12, 13....20
21 first year of third decade
22...........98, 99, 100 last year of first century
101 first year of second century
102,103.. ..150...199
200 last year of second century
201 first year of third century
202,...298, 299
300 last year of third century
301 first year of 4th. century
302,..399
400 last year of 4th. century
401-500 = 5th. century 501-600 = 6th. century. 601-700 = 7 th. century
701-800 = 8 th. century 801-900 = 9 th. century
901 first year of 10th. century
902......999, 1000 last year of 10th century, also last year of the first millennium
1001 start of the second millennium (and of the 11th. century)
1002....1099
1100 end of 11th. century
1101 start of the 12th. century
1101-1200 = 12th. century
1201-1300 = 13th. century
1301-1400 = 14th. century
1401-1500 = 15th. century
1501-1600 = 16th. century
1601-1700 = 17th. century
1701-1800 = 18th. century
1801-1900 = 19th. century
1901 start of the 20th. century
1902
1903
..
1940
1960
1980
1998
1999
2000 last year of the 20th. century
2001 start of the 21st. century. First year.
2002 second year
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009 ninth year
2010 last year of first decade (of this century)
2011 beginning of second decade
Who knew that 1 means first? Who knew that a new decade or a new century or a new millenium start with the number 1?
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Michael Goland
Need other sources ?
http://www.rmg.co.uk/explore/astronomy-and-time/time-facts/faqs/new-millennium-where-when-why
http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/astronomical-information-center/millennium
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_century#cite_note-usno-0
-------------Miscellaneous
Another misinformation. It adds up to the previous one:
Although we call them "Indians", Native Americans are not really from India !
