# President Modi of India appears to believe that the 21st century began on 1st Jan 2000 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 24, 2017, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197 "2017-12-24T05:21:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/121 "2018-01-02T06:15:08Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > I understand what you’re saying, and I even agree to a large part, but I think you’re dismissing the meaning of “century” and “millennium” a little too easily. The words may not have much precision in your world, but they do in mine and the world of many people. There is no circumstance where I would agree that a millennium is 999 years Well the calendar skipped a whole 11 days in 1752 making the month of September, the year or 1752, the 18th century and that whole millennia somewhat shorter. However I bet you’d be happy enough to consider the period of 1st Jan 1001 to 1st Jan 2001 as a “millennium” even though it only had 999 full years in it. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/122 "2018-01-02T07:07:04Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Well the calendar skipped a whole 11 days in 1752 making the month of September, the year or 1752, the 18th century and that whole millennia somewhat shorter. However I bet you’d be happy enough to consider the period of 1st Jan 1001 to 1st Jan 2001 as a “millennium” even though it only had 999 full years in it. I’d be inclined to round up in any event. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/123 "2018-01-02T10:12:32Z")
A survey in the UK in Aug 1998 found that 73% of people believed tbat 1st Jan 2000 was no different from any other New Year’s Day. Most of those who thought otherwise were Catholics who were aware that the Pope had declared the Year 2000 to be a ‘Jubilee Year’, a celebration of the last year of tbe 2nd Millennium. During 1999 there was a change in people’s thinking with regard to the significance of 1st Jan 2000. What brought this about? Why did it spread throughout the world to the point where the governments of almost all countries went along with it? What was going on? ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/124 "2018-01-02T10:14:13Z")
> [@SeniorCitizen007](#): > > A survey in the UK in Aug 1998 found that 73% of people believed tbat 1st Jan 2000 was no different from any other New Year’s Day. Most of those who thought otherwise were Catholics who were aware that the Pope had declared the Year 2000 to be a ‘Jubilee Year’, a celebration of the last year of tbe 2nd Millennium. During 1999 there was a change in people’s thinking with regard to the significance of 1st Jan 2000. What brought this about? Why did it spread throughout the world to the point where the governments of almost all countries went along with it? What was going on? I’m going with Chthulhu. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/125 "2018-01-02T12:16:12Z")
Soviet Era orbital mind control lasers were hacked by the clandestine groups Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow and the Boy Sprouts. They were unable to follow through with phase 3 of their plan due to the actions of the Secret Masters of Fandom. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/126 "2018-01-02T15:09:45Z")
> [@SeniorCitizen007](#): > > A survey in the UK in Aug 1998 found that 73% of people believed tbat 1st Jan 2000 was no different from any other New Year’s Day. cite? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/127 "2018-01-02T15:17:12Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > The year is an arbitrary number. There was never a Year 1, and 2001 is not 2000 years after anything. > > 2000, OTOH, is a nice, round, pretty number, and it notes the date after which all years start with a 2. Sounds like cause for celebration to me. I agree. Perhaps being a C programmer helps me see things clearly. 😃 I don’t have a problem with people who prefer the 2001 convention. Potato, Potawto. But I am always infuriated by the sanctimonious stick-up-their-asses who aren’t content to practice their fetish in silence, but need to whine and preach that us 2000’ers are deluded ignoramuses. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I tend to think that terminology matters in this regard. “The Twentieth Century” ran from January 1st, 1901 through December 31st, 2000, but “the nineteen-hundreds” ran from 1900 through 1999. The two aren’t exactly the same, although we only have to deal with the discrepancy once every hundred years. It’s _so_ useful to have two different names for slightly different 100-year periods.[sarcasm] Perhaps we need a special name for the 1857-1956 century as well? Confession: _ **I am a hypocrite.** _ In a recent thread it was convenient for me to call Millard Fillmore (1800-1874) a “President not born in the 19th century.” I felt slightly soiled by this fib, but consoled myself that, since SDMB has more than its share of sanctimony, the claim would probably be fervently accepted by the other participants. ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/128 "2018-01-03T00:31:33Z")
Lord Tanlaw speaking in the House of Lords, 4th Mar 1998 As the Government are aware, 1st January 2001 is the real beginning of the third millennium, but most people have indicated that they wish to celebrate the occasion from 1st January 2000. I do not argue with that because I shall be joining them. The difference in dates is historic rather than scientific and was recognised as such at the beginning of this century. The newspapers of the period reported that the 20th century was to be publicly recognised as starting on 1st January 1901, not 1900. That was because the official date of Christendom should have been 0 AD not 1 AD. The first year of the new Christian calendar, which I think was designated by Pope John I, was 1 AD–anno domini, in the year of the Lord–rather than 0 AD because the zero was not available in Europe until about 200 years later ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/129 "2018-01-03T00:58:32Z")
A keen amateur horologist, Lord Tanlaw is a Fellow of both the Royal Astronomical Society and the British Horological Institute. In 2005, he introduced the Lighter Evenings (Experiment) Bill, which would move the United Kingdom’s time zone forward by one hour, to UTC+1 in the winter and UTC+2 in the summer. The bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 24 March 2006. The government had already rejected the proposal the previous year. Lord Tanlaw persists in pressing his case for a change of time zone. Most of his last appearances in the House of Lords was to argue for lighter evenings, which he did when there was only the most tenuous link to the topic being debated in the chamber. Such did his reputation become that other Lords were able to predict when the issue was to be raised by Lord Tanlaw’s appearance in his usual seat on the cross-benches. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/130 "2018-01-03T01:15:17Z")
> [@SeniorCitizen007](#): > > A survey in the UK in Aug 1998 found that 73% of people believed tbat 1st Jan 2000 was no different from any other New Year’s Day… Again, cite please. Another survey (me and my mates) says that’s complete nonsense. I was living in London at that time, and people were thinking _years_ ahead about where they were planning to be for this “once in a lifetime” event. And would you care to explain what actual _point_ you’re trying to make with either the above comment or your subsequent appeal to Lord Tanlaw’s authority? ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/131 "2018-01-03T01:46:46Z")
> **[BBC News | Health | Don't be an April fool over sex](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/300961.stm)** > > 1 January 2000 is the last day to chose for having a baby, argues BBC Doctor Colin Thomas. ‘Don’t be an April Fool over sex’ Note that the date 1st Jan 1999 in this article should be 1st Jan 2000. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/132 "2018-01-03T09:53:26Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Again, cite please. Another survey (me and my mates) says that’s complete nonsense. I was living in London at that time, and people were thinking _years_ ahead about where they were planning to be for this “once in a lifetime” event. > > And would you care to explain what actual _point_ you’re trying to make with either the above comment or your subsequent appeal to Lord Tanlaw’s authority? I feel I also have to quote from a distinguished member of rock nobility. Who clearly stated nearly 2 decades before the fact **“Two thousand zero zero party over oops! out of time. So tonight I’m going to party like it’s 1999”** That leaves us no doubt that the 1999/2000 change was a (funkily) significant moment in time. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/133 "2018-01-03T14:07:57Z")
Another cite. > **[Millennium Dome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Dome)** > > The Millennium Dome was the original name of the large dome-shaped building on the Greenwich Peninsula in South East London, England, which housed a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium. As of 2022, it is the ninth largest building in the world by usable volume. The exhibition was open to the public from 1 January to 31 December 2000. The project and exhibition were highly political and attracted barely half of the 12 million customers its sponsors forecasted, and... Planning started in 1994. Opened to the public on 1st Jan 2000. _Closed_ to the public on 31st Dec 2000, since nobody but misguided Senior Citizens were trying to celebrate anything on 1st Jan 2001. ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/134 "2018-01-03T16:00:19Z")
> **[Millennium Dome | building, Greenwich, London, United Kingdom](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Millennium-Dome)** > > Millennium Dome, official name The O2, massive construction project and tourist attraction in Greenwich, London, England. It was initiated to house an exhibition for the approach of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium ce (the official start of... ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/135 "2018-01-03T16:52:54Z")
If the question is simply on which date to have a big party, then the solution was obvious: Have two big parties. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/136 "2018-01-06T12:00:50Z")
Just now, browsing in my library, I picked up **A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Volume II: The New World** I opened the Volume to **Book IV: Renaissance and Reformation Chapter I: The Round World**. The very first sentence was decisive: > [@Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill](#): > > We have now reached the dawn of what is called the sixteenth century, which means all the years in the hundred years that begin with fifteen. I trust you all share my satisfaction and relief that this matter can finally be laid to rest. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/137 "2018-01-06T21:45:53Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Just now, browsing in my library, I picked up > > \*\*A History of the English-Speaking Peoples > > Volume II: The New World\*\* > > I opened the Volume to > > \*\*Book IV: Renaissance and Reformation > > Chapter I: The Round World\*\*. > > The very first sentence was decisive: > > I trust you all share my satisfaction and relief that this matter can finally be laid to rest. Because of an obscure book you found on your shelf? Okay. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/138 "2018-01-06T21:58:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If the question is simply on which date to have a big party, then the solution was obvious: Have two big parties. That’s just what Kang and Kodos are relying on. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chFaesfO7fQ) ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/139 "2018-01-07T01:54:18Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Because of an obscure book you found on your shelf? Okay. :smack: Uhhh … My post was tongue-in-cheek, but if you think _A History of the English-Speaking Peoples_ is “obscure” you might want to inform the Swedish Academy for the Nobel Prize in Literature which cited works like that when it awarded Sir Winston its highest prize. But thanks for playing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197/140 "2018-01-07T06:56:04Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > :smack: Uhhh … My post was tongue-in-cheek, but if you think _A History of the English-Speaking Peoples_ is “obscure” you might want to inform the Swedish Academy for the Nobel Prize in Literature which cited works like that when it awarded Sir Winston its highest prize. > > But thanks for playing. 😃 Point is, there’s a right way and and a wrong way of demarcating centuries, and most of us use the wrong way. C’est la vie. You may be 46 years old, but you’re currently in your 47th year of living. You haven’t lived a decade until a full ten years have passed. We are in common parlance in our third millennium, 21st century, and 18th year of the new century and new millennium, which began on January 1, 2001, and January 1, 2017 respectively. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-modi-of-india-appears-to-believe-that-the-21st-century-began-on-1st-jan-2000/805197.md?page=8)