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Subject: Re: OT Re: Steven Schwartz , HAPPY 59th BIRTHDAY!!!

Author: Mark Ryan

Date: 18:49:32 03/18/04

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On March 18, 2004 at 18:45:36, Jeroen van Dorp wrote:

[snip]

>Following the debate about the exact beginning of the new millennium (2001) you
>could well argue that Steve's "sixties" start at age 61.

[snip]

>J.

No, Steve's situation is different.  The calendar never had a Year Zero:  the
year One BC is followed by One AD.  Thus the first day of Anno Domini occurs in
the Year One.  And 2000 years elapse in January of 2001.  But for Steve, 60
years of life elapse the day he turns 60, and therefore his "sixties" start at
age 60.

Incidentally, the exact beginning of the new millenium could not have been on
January 1, 2001, because 10 days were "disappeared" as a result of the switch
from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar:

http://www.geocities.com/calendopaedia/gregory.htm

http://www.geocities.com/calendopaedia/julian.htm

Moreover, the current "millenium" is a retrospective construction, because, of
course, the concepts of BC and AD were not invented until long after the time of
Christ.

So ultimately it was fair to celebrate the millenium whenever we felt like it.
Smart people partied three times (or more).

Mark (Happy Birthday, Steve)




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