# First Arrival of the New Year? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2015, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arrival-of-the-new-year/741800 "2015-12-31T05:04:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arrival-of-the-new-year/741800/1 "2015-12-31T05:04:49Z")
The time is actually opportune to ask this question. It is now 12 Midnight (well a couple of minutes after, according to my computer clock), December 31st 2015. And I suspect the New Year may have arrived somewhere in the world. I think(?). The International Date Line is between Alaska and Siberia, in case you don’t know. And by international agreement, the new day (and in this case, New Year) begins there. So does that mean the New Year has already arrived somewhere on earth? Or do we still have to wait an hour, or even two? (BTW, my question isn’t as dumb as some may think. I’ll bet some of you didn’t even know about the International Date Line;). Education in the U.S. is in a horrible state of disrepair. I digress. But it is true.) :):)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arrival-of-the-new-year/741800/2 "2015-12-31T05:11:25Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > (BTW, my question isn’t as dumb as some may think. I’ll bet some of you didn’t even know about the International Date Line. Education in the U.S. is in a horrible state of disrepair. I digress. But it is true.) True! - some people don’t even know about [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year%27s_Eve)! > [@](#): > > Samoa and parts of Kiribati are the first places to welcome the New Year (And as of this posting, they’re about 5 hours away from local midnight…) ---
**Author:** ![Richox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Richox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richox)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arrival-of-the-new-year/741800/3 "2015-12-31T06:10:53Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > The time is actually opportune to ask this question. It is now 12 Midnight (well a couple of minutes after, according to my computer clock), December 31st 2015. And I suspect the New Year may have arrived somewhere in the world. I think(?). > > The International Date Line is between Alaska and Siberia, in case you don’t know. And by international agreement, the new day (and in this case, New Year) begins there. > > So does that mean the New Year has already arrived somewhere on earth? Or do we still have to wait an hour, or even two? > > (BTW, my question isn’t as dumb as some may think. I’ll bet some of you didn’t even know about the International Date Line;). Education in the U.S. is in a horrible state of disrepair. I digress. But it is true.) > > :):)🙂 Ahh jimb with your self professed expertise in all things date line related I would have thought you’d realise every location in the world is still a fair way off seeing in 2016 ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arrival-of-the-new-year/741800/4 "2015-12-31T16:09:07Z")
I thought Chatham Island had the latest time in the world (45 minutes before NZ). Physically, it is actually east of the date line but uses NZ + 45 minutes or UT+12:45. In fact, if they use summer time, it could be UT+13:45. In fact, I just checked and Chatham Island is UT+13:45. They celebrated New Year’s nearly 6 hours ago as I post this (11:11 EST). ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arrival-of-the-new-year/741800/5 "2015-12-31T17:09:51Z")
In Sydney - there are already staggering off to bed. It’s gone 4am on 1st Jan. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arrival-of-the-new-year/741800/6 "2015-12-31T17:15:10Z")
So, are induced deliveries counted? It seems a trivial matter to induce a near-term pregnancy in order to assure your infant will arrive at 12:01. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arrival-of-the-new-year/741800/7 "2015-12-31T17:19:44Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > (BTW, my question isn’t as dumb as some may think. I’ll bet some of you didn’t even know about the International Date Line;). > :):)🙂 Pollywogs know about the international date line as our diesel submarine the (back in the 1960’s) often had to cross over and then surface to perform the ritual of kissing the chiefs belly covered in grease. :eek: Just for first timers of course 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arrival-of-the-new-year/741800/8 "2015-12-31T17:29:41Z")
A neat interactive map showing the proceeding New Year. [New Year Map.](http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/newyearmap.html) ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-arrival-of-the-new-year/741800/9 "2016-01-01T04:50:17Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > Pollywogs know about the international date line as our diesel submarine the (back in the 1960’s) often had to cross over and then surface to perform the ritual of kissing the chiefs belly covered in grease. :eek: > > Just for first timers of course 🆒 Pollywogs and dateline? I became a shellback crossing the equator. Entered the Golden Dragon society crossing the date line. At the equator full day of celebration. Started the night before at meal time and carried on until afternoon the next day.