🚀 go-pugleaf

For a little history on the confusion surrounding the millenium issue, get
the book Dinasaur in a Haystack by Steven Jay Gould... He includes a
well-written essay about this very issue: when does the next millenium
begin and this one end. He weaves a wonderful tale of history -
informative yet enjoyable and humorous as well.



On 12 Jun 1997, Neil Harrington wrote:

> Bill Newton <Bi...@notwen.demon.co.uk> wrote in article
> <daS67JAr...@notwen.demon.co.uk>...
> > In article <01bc750e$7441ea00$5af62581@dferner>, "Daniel P.
> > Ferner" <dfe...@concentric.net> writes
> > >That's not true, just because the numbers (2000) change, that doesn't
> mean
> > >100 (or 1000) years have gone by.  We don't hit that mark until Midnight
> > >Dec 31 2000.  The start of the new century and millenium.
> > 
> > As I understand things a 'Millenium' is a span of a thousand years.
> > Does it not follow therefore that we shall  be celebrating our ENTRY
> > into the second Millenium immediately after midnight on 31st
> > December 1999?
> 
> Nope.
> 
> In the first place, we are already in the second millennium. We have been
> for nearly a thousand years.
> 
> There was no year zero, so the first millennium ran from the year 1 to the
> year 1000 *inclusive*. That is, the first millennium wasn't finished until
> the year 1000 was finished. The second millennium then started, on the
> first day of 1001. 
> 
> The next millennium will be the third, and it will begin on Jan. 1, 2001. 
> 
> I'm sure millions of people will be enthusiastically ringing in the "new
> millennium" at midnight, Dec. 31, 1999. They'll all be a year early, and
> probably half of them still won't understand this even when it's explained
> to them.
> 
> Neil
> 
> 
> 
>