Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Bogus "Millennium" Stories

Author:Angus Davis
Posted:9/5/1999; 2:19:38 PM
Topic:Bogus "Millennium" Stories
Msg #:10611
Prev/Next:10610 / 10612

Dave et. al., I'm getting increasingly "irked" by all the stories and TV news reports I read concerning the "end of the century" or the "end of the millennium," etc.

Many people don't know when the century or millennium actually "ends." As there is no year zero in the Gregorian calendar, the first millennium started on January 1, 1 A.D., the day after December 31, 1 B.C. The first millennium ended 1000 years later, on the night of Dec 31, 1000/morning of Jan 1, 1001, and the second millennium ends 1000 years after that, on Dec 31 2000/Jan 1 2001.

More information on this is available from the US Naval Observatory, online at: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/faq/docs/millennium.html

You can also get facts from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England (keepers of Greenwich Mean Time) at: http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk/leaflets/new_mill.html

I've noticed this error appearing in publications across the country. Can we (the scripting.com community) put some pressure on editors to get their style guides to reflect the true nature of the facts regarding the millennium so as to prevent additional errors of this sort in the future? I'm so sick and tired of seeing the biggest news outlets in the world (CNN, USAToday, etc.) showcase their ignorance on this topic. Thanks, -angus

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