I was born in the 20th century (1964). Now live in the 21st century. It does seem weird to span two centuries. I sometimes refer to the past century, but usually just say the decade. In the 70’s I listened to Arena Rock. I listened to hair metal in the 80’s. Really no need to say the century.
Nope. Although I lived most of my life in the 20th century (I’m 56.), my thinking is firmly entrenched in this century. I have no problem thinking of the 20th century as “last century” and of the 19th as being in the dim mists of history.
Never. Born in '61. I live in the Here and Now. I embrace technology, I love alternative music, and Miley Cyrus gets a grin from me. I love that young woman! Anything that works up the prudes is okay by me.
Me too. The years from 2000-2010 get skipped over in my head. Like Jester’s wife’s car, my '99 Camry doesn’t seem old. Our 17th wedding anniversary is in a few days, but 1996 doesn’t feel like 17 years ago. Oddly, 17 years seems like a long time, but 1996 feels recent.
If I hear “last century”, I’ll assume it’s the 19th, because the 20th wasn’t that long ago to be referred to in century terms. Not sure how long it’ll take before the 21st century doesn’t feel futuristic.
All the time. The “Turn of the Century”, in my brain, was 1900, because that’s what I’ve associated it with all my life (born in 1957). The “Turn of the Millennium” is 2000. I really have to think about it to associate 2000 with a century turn, since it was so hyped as the millennium.
Yes, I know it isn’t logical. And has it really been 13 years?
Fourthing the “turn of the century is 1900”. Probably because it is very rare to hear anyone talk about the “turn of the century” in reference to the years surrounding 2000. However, “last century” is the 20th.
I’m 58, born in 1954, but by now I’m thinking of the 20th century as the last century.
I do recall that my grandfather, born in October of 1900, was, just barely, born in the 19th century.
Since Star Trek so stupidly called our era “ancient” :rolleyes: I feel justified in calling anything from before my birth ‘ancient’. 
I still refer to the turn of the century as around 1890-1910* and think of “last century” as the 19th.
*The 19th century took a long time to turn
“Turn of the century” hasn’t been adopted by that many books to refer to January 1, 2001. And “turn of the millenium” is not likely to be used until several centuries from now, when people can see just what marks the divide between the second and third.
I think the 20th has had so many major milestones that people in various age groups can refer to events after 1900 as the main turning point in their respective personal histories. The great war, the big war, Korea and Vietnam, fall of the wall. I was born in 1963 and I remember the hunting was still good up to the early 70s. American books told of only bad things inside the iron curtain, exactly what communist lecturers told Russian children and soldiers about the US. Terrorism entered people’s vocabularies at about that time. Even before the computer turned a lot of things obsolete, I saw the passing of the hat, fountain pen, pure cotton clothes, and hand-stitched shoe industries. I grew up with guns and lots of shooting until maybe 1974.
Computers entered the office in around 1984 but people continued using the typewriter for things like checks, promissory notes, and other official forms. People smoked in air-conditioned rooms right beside non-smokers.
Yes, I do it because I don’t think of centuries anymore the way I did when I was little, if that makes sense. Now I just think in terms of today, or this year. When I was little the 1800s seemed so long ago, even though all my grandparents were born in the 19th century. So when I was ten, that was fascinating. Not so much anymore.
And you’re right. Queen Victoria did sit on the throne in the 20th century. She died in 1901, so we can even avoid the “When did the 20th century begin?” discussion.
Okay, I know I’m being pedantic here and that’s not an endearing trait so I really hope you’ll forgive me. QV lived only three weeks into the 20th century - she died January 22, 1901. It’s safe to say that when you refer to QV, most people think 19th century.
The three weeks scarcely count, do they? She was insensible for much of that time. Source: Ask Sir James by Michaela Reid. Sir James Reid was the physician who attended the Queen in those last three weeks. (Good read, btw.)
i’m having trouble figuring the year since that damn Y2K bug.
Me, too, on both your points. I was born in 1965.
Born in '57, but pretty grounded in the 21st century by now.
Though I do reflect on the people I knew who were born in the 19th century, from time to time.
Ditto on all points. However, I do enjoy talking about moving into our house at “the turn of the century.”
This for me too. I was born in 1955, so the middle of the last century.
My paternal grandparents were born in the 1880s, my maternal ones in the 1900s, WWII ended only 10 years before I was born. There was a lot of my life lived in the 20th century but we are well and truly in the 21st now.
Count me in with the other idiots. Born in 1953 and I also think of the turn of the century as being pre-WWI.
True story: The other day I’m at Kroger getting a 12pack of beer. The cashier, a young man, asks:
Cashier: Can I have your birth date so I can enter it in on the computer?
Me: Sure, 8-13-70
Cashier: 1970?
Me: No dude, 1870, I’m a 143 years old.
But yeah, I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that there are adults out there who have never known the 80’s
I was born in '75, and while I consider myself early middle age, it seems that might be a little too early for this poll, given the responses. That said, I think of “turn of the century” as the turn from the end of the 1800s to the early 1900s. I’m not sure I’ve heard anyone refer to the late 1990s to 2000s as the “turn” myself. I sometimes say “fin de siècle” when referring to architecture or in a historical context to refer to the period from when the 1800s turned into the 1900s and help disambiguate (as I’m absolutely certain I’ve never heard it to refer to the last turn, and, to my mind, it specifically refers to that time period, but it can make you sound like a pompous ass if you’re in a crowd that is not familiar with the term.)
Anyhoo…“Last century” to me is 1900s.