perfidy

All educated folk know that the third millennium began on Jan 1, 2001. Not in 2000 as some rubes entranced with nice, round numbers believe. I would argue that the Millennium and our current, nameless decade began over nine months later, on the morning of September 11. It is convenient to divide recent history into bite sized nuggets. Ten years is a useful period of time, and we have very clear conceptions of the fifties, sixties, seventies, etc. But when exactly do they begin and end, if not on Jan 1 every ten years?

Here's how I would break it down:

• The Twenties began on November 11, 1918 and ended on October 29, 1929.
• The Thirties came to an abrupt halt on Dec 7, 1941.
• The Forties is a tough one. I am tempted to say that the decade concluded on August 14, 1945, but in the end I'll have to go with June 25, 1950.
• The Fifties took a bow on January 20, 1961.
• The Sixties died on May 4, 1970.
• The Seventies shuffled off into the sunset January 20, 1981.
• The Eighties took a powder November 9, 1989.
• And the Nineties ended on September 11, 2001, making it the longest decade in the twentieth century.

We can have the same fun with centuries - the nineteenth century lasted from 1815 to 1914. The eighteenth century began in 1702. The seventeenth century started in 1607. (This is for American history, of course.)

Not serious history, but something to idle away a few moments.