Here's a TRIVIA question that many get wrong, how about you?

[AviatorTom]

Here's a TRIVIA question that many people get wrong.

Question: When did the 20th Century start?

Please select your answer in the poll below.

Correct answer will be given in a few days... Monday.

31 December 1999

1 January 1900

1 January 2000

31 December 1899

1 January 1901

1 January 2001

None of the above

Updates

+1 y

The correct answer is 1 January 1901. As @chrissykerdock points out, the first year of a new century is year 1. So, 1 January 2001 is the first day of the 21st Century.

Congratulations to all those who got it right. It's understandable how so many chose 1 January 1900, a common misconception.

In actuality, 1 January 1900 is the first day of the last year of the 19th Century.

[OlderAndWiser]

I believe that the convention is that 1900 is the last year of the 19th Century, so the 20th Century began on January 1, 1901.

[RavVid]

Same date Australia became a nation. Can't forget that.

[IslaTheWitch]

the Jan 1, 1901... I'm quite sure I was learning about the calendar in the primary school

[chrissykerdock]

actually a new century begins with year one

[strateguy632]

what about a newborn? he starts before he is year one!

[RebelinSteel]

I know the answer, being on Gag for a few months now, there are definitely a number of GaG members who have not yet reached the 20th Century.

[Lliam]

I'm pretty sure it was Jan 1, 1901. The first day of a new century begins with the year that is numbered 1. You start counting from 1, not 0.

Although it's confusing because centuries are counted differently. The first century is numbered from the supposed birth of Christ. It went from that point to 100. So the year beginning with 101 is actually the second century. That's why the century with the 1900s are referred to as the 20th century.

[FunkyMonkee]

The answer depends greatly on if there was a year 0.

[AviatorTom]

True, but that question has been already answered by those who make calendars.

[msmissydc]

Not really, because if there was a year 0 it would be part of the zeroest century. A year that by definition is not being the first is also not part of the 1st century.

[FunkyMonkee]

@msmissydc No, it'd be part of the first century. A century spans 100 years so, if the first year was 0, the 100th year in the first century would've been, 99. The 2nd century would've started with the year, 100.

[FunkyMonkee]

From what I understand, we started counting forwards (and why were we counting backwards to begin with?) with the supposed birth of Jesus Christ. He was not 1 year old the entire first year of his life so, that would've been year 0.
Also, time, as we know it (the way we keep track of it), is a man-made concept. There were BILLIONS of years of time before we came up with the idea of the calendar. For all we know, this is just the second, third or even 1,000,000,000th time our universe has gone through this span of time that we've decided started with the big bang. Before the big bang could've been the big collapse that happened after the end of the previous big bang.
Take a pebble and toss it into a large puddle. Upon the pebble breaking the calm of the puddle (we'll call, the big bang), a series of waves emanate from the epicenter of that big bang and flow outward to the edges of the puddle and then reverberate back in towards the epicenter where they collide and create a second "big bang". Theory has it, this is what's happening to our universe. It's expanding from the initial bang that we know of and will eventually stop and revert, at which time, it'll either cease to exist or, create a new big bang that will last trillions more years.
Anyway, we weren't there 2024 years ago so, how do we know there was no year 0?

[strateguy632]

in history, no year was "year zero." the year 1 bc was followed by year 1 ad. between start 2bc to start 3 ad were 2112, four years, can't add them.

[FunkyMonkee]

@strateguy632 Syrinx?

[FunkyMonkee]

I already told you why I went with 1900. I knew you were looking for 1901 but, everybody considers the new change of the numbers to be the start of the new century! Even H. G. Wells started, "The Time Machine" at the turn of the century, new years day, 1900!

[SaltyBeaches]

The correct answer is E - 1 January 1901.

[TommyMountainFigure]

Well it has to be the 1st January. and either 1900 or 1901. I'll go with 1901 but Ill be honest. I'm just guessing..

[Dargil]

I voted 1 January 1901 There was no 0-th century or year zero.

[menina]

I don't remember what was the logic behind it, but I read that it started on 1 January 1901.

[purplepoppy]

Depend on what state or country you're in. For most it was 1901

[NathanDavis]

on a Tuesday...

should have been a Monday, but whatever...

[abc3643]

I am reminded of the "Newmanium".

https://www.youtube.com/embed/XhszN4x-SDE

[msc545]

I think January 1st 1901 is the correct answer to your question.

[Nikki1989]

January 1, 1901.

[AngryCarl]

Ah the 20th century - good times!

[strateguy632]

2nd. like a one month old baby.

[4ngelic]

1st jan 2001

[4ngelic]

oops nvm 1st jan 1900

[Kingofkings1992]

We’re not taking questions at the moment

[exitseven]

• none of the above.

[AviatorTom]

Care to share the date you believe the 20th Century started?

[exitseven]

Jan 1 1900