# If a story involves something on "New Years Eve 2008" - is that 12/31/2007, or 12/31/2008?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-story-involves-something-on-new-years-eve-2008-is-that-12-31-2007-or-12-31-2008/578632
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 16, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-story-involves-something-on-new-years-eve-2008-is-that-12-31-2007-or-12-31-2008/578632 "2011-04-16T18:02:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Win\_Place\_Show](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Win_Place_Show)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-story-involves-something-on-new-years-eve-2008-is-that-12-31-2007-or-12-31-2008/578632/1 "2011-04-16T18:02:13Z")
Just curious how the rest of you would typically read that?
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### Author:  [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-story-involves-something-on-new-years-eve-2008-is-that-12-31-2007-or-12-31-2008/578632/2 "2011-04-16T18:19:26Z")
12/31/2008
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### Author:  [@StarsApart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarsApart)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-story-involves-something-on-new-years-eve-2008-is-that-12-31-2007-or-12-31-2008/578632/3 "2011-04-16T18:23:36Z")
I’d read it as 12/31/08.
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### Author:  [@Win\_Place\_Show](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Win_Place_Show)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-story-involves-something-on-new-years-eve-2008-is-that-12-31-2007-or-12-31-2008/578632/4 "2011-04-16T18:25:23Z")
great thanks - I basically have read it the same way, but there was a discussion at lunch yesterday that had me second-guessing it.
Thanks!
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### Author:  [@\_mostly\_Harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_mostly_Harmless)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-story-involves-something-on-new-years-eve-2008-is-that-12-31-2007-or-12-31-2008/578632/5 "2011-04-17T05:25:40Z")
I do see the possibility for confusion but I would read it like everyone else here: 31 Dec 2008.
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### Author:  [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2011, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-story-involves-something-on-new-years-eve-2008-is-that-12-31-2007-or-12-31-2008/578632/6 "2011-04-17T05:30:21Z")
While 12-31-08 would be the correct _literal_ interpretation, if I read that I would suspect that the author meant 12-31-07, since the forthcoming year is really the important thing about New Year’s Eve, not the current year that’s about to roll over.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-story-involves-something-on-new-years-eve-2008-is-that-12-31-2007-or-12-31-2008/578632/7 "2011-04-17T05:58:38Z")
I would just see it as ambiguous, and look for a reference to New Years + date. If it was never mentioned, I’d assume the author meant the eve of New Years 2008.
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### Author:  [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2011, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-story-involves-something-on-new-years-eve-2008-is-that-12-31-2007-or-12-31-2008/578632/8 "2011-04-17T09:45:19Z")
At the turn of the last millennium, I remember it being called New Year’s Eve 1999.
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### Author:  [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-story-involves-something-on-new-years-eve-2008-is-that-12-31-2007-or-12-31-2008/578632/9 "2011-04-17T15:25:18Z")
Looks ambiguous to me too. It _should_ be 12/31/08 but I wouldn’t take it on faith that the writer meant that.
Googling “New Years Eve 2008” and just looking at the descriptions that have dates (like blog or videos from 12/07 to 1/08), it seems that 12/31/07 is just as popular.