Welcome to the Greenwich 2001 website

When did the millennium officially begin? (& century & decade)

1 January 2001

All the experts agree (and have done for centuries) that the millennium officially started on 1 January 2001 and NOT on 1 January 2000 as much of the hype would have you believe.  The "last of the millennium" or the "first of the millennium"

Why?

The millennium officially started on 1 January 2001. But most people regarded 1 January 2000 as a good day to start the party!

Why? - Because there is no year "0" in our calendar system.  It started at 1AD; two thousand years on, or two millennia is celebrated in 2001!

BUT... It is on 1 January 2000 that the so called 'millennium bug' takes effect

Where?

The millennium officially started at Greenwich, England. But many people are confused that it doesn't begin at the International Date Line.  Each new day starts at the International Date Line which is 12 hours ahead of GMT.  But it is only a new day in that local time zone.

A Universal Day was created by International Convention in 1884 in Washington DC, USA.  This Universal Day operates to World Time or Universal Time at Greenwich, England; historically referred to as GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).  It begins at midnight GMT (I.E. 12 noon at the International Date Line)

When it is midnight Greenwich it is the official start of the new Universal Day and the whole world can celebrate.

That reference point is midnight at the cross-hairs of the Airy telescope in the Old Greenwich Observatory in Greenwich, England.  It is also the point of zero longitude; the Prime Meridian of the World also known as the Greenwich Meridian which can be seen on all modern World Maps.

All time and space on planet earth is measured by 2 reference lines. The lines of longitude based on the Greenwich Meridian (0° Longitude) and the Equator (0° Latitude).  You can express where you are precisely by your latitude and longitude and in time by Greenwich Mean Time.