A Decade February 15, 2020

Last year as the year 2020 approached, I started to hear “the end” and “the beginning” of a decade.  Just let me make it clear: year 2020 is NOT a beginning of a new decade.  This is, on the contrary, the last year of the decade that started in 2011.

When we count numbers, we always start from 1 – one, NOT 0 – zero.  The same applies to the numbering of years.  The first year of any set of years; such as decades, centuries, millennia, always starts with ONE.  

I wrote a very similar article in our old print newsletter in December 1999.  If you are curious about what it was, click here to read it.  If you remember this article, you must be with us for a long time!

 

Year 2000

So much has been talked about it, but we dare to put a small note here.

The Year 2000 is NOT the beginning of the new century OR millennium.  The coming century and millennium will not start until January 1 of 2001, and this is why.

When we look back in history, the numbering of years is … 3 BC, 2 BC, 1 BC.  The year then after 1 BC is 1 AD.  That is, there is no year ZERO in between.  This means that the beginning of a century, as well as a millennium, is always a year with a “1” NOT a “0.”  Thus, the year 2000 is the last year of this century and millennium, not a new beginning yet.  However, the fact that the first digit of the year is about to change from “1” to “2” surely makes us feel like something is coming, doesn’t it?

We wish you all a great and prosperous year 2000!

(If you are curious, there is a similar article in the “Farmer’s Almanac” so please peek.)

Original article appeared in the Fall 1999 Issue of the Trillium Ridge Times, a print newsletter of Thorpe Vineyard.