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Date:      Mon, 06 Dec 1999 19:26:56 +0000
From:      Richard Smith <rsmith@trltech.co.uk>
To:        jack <jack@germanium.xtalwind.net>
Cc:        Greg Lehey <grog@lemis.com>, freebsd-chat@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: New Millenium (was: So, what do we call the 00's?)
Message-ID:  <384C0E00.16CA9502@trltech.co.uk>
References:  <Pine.BSF.4.21.9912051414240.40078-100000@germanium.xtalwind.net>

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jack wrote:
> 
> Today Greg Lehey wrote:
> 
> > OK.  I've come to generally accept this opinion.  Let's look at a few
> > more:
> >
> > When is the turn of the century?  By the same logic, that's also in
> > 2001.
> 
> Yes it is.
> By definition a century is 100 years; any 100 years.
> A person born in 1900, who lives to be 100, will celebrate their
> first century (100 years) on their birthday in 2000.
> 
> A person born in 1901, who lives to be 100, will celebrate their
> first century (100 years) on their birthday in 2001.
> 
> The "birth date" of the Gregorian calander was Jan 1 1, not
> Jan 1 0, so its one hundredth "birthday" (the end of its first
> century) was Jan 1 101.  Its 2000th birthday (the end of its
> twentieth century) will be Jan 1 2001.

The Gregorian calendar was "born" in 1582. At that time Pope Gregory
XIII introduced special significance to the centenary years (1600, 1700,
1800, 1900, 2000). 

So I guess centuries are designed in.

As for millennia, if we're not celebrating a three digit roll over, what
are we celebrating? JC's 2000th birthday was back around 1995 :-)

richard.


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