It annoys the hell out of me that centuries are identified by one number greater than their actual number in the hundreds place.
The 1800’s are referred to as the nineteenth century. The 1900’s are called the twentieth century.
I understand the accuracy of these labels. Yes, the sixteenth century is technically the seventeenth century, but it’s confusing as hell.
Who among us hasn’t read that the Black Death devastated Europe in the fourteenth century and thought it meant the 1400’s?
Or that Buck Rogers in the 25th Century meant that Buck was living in the 2500’s?
I grew up in the twentieth century, but for the longest time, I had no idea why? It made no sense.
“It’s 1986, damn it! We still have 14 years to go until the year 2000! What is wrong with you people?”
I can’t be the only person who reads that the vibrator was invented in the 19th century and requires a moment of numeric translation in order to determine that it was actually invented in the Victorian era and not in the century when I was born.
Right?
