Here's one that has caused more arguments and trouble than History is really worth, but to History 'pedantics' like myself, everything has to be 'just so!...........'  

When was the end of the 20th century?  ???

Answer, of course, on the 31st December, 2000.

Why then did everyone make such a fuss on the same day, one year before it came????

I don't know. Maybe the beginning of 2000 (Jan 1) is a better sounding number for the beginning of something new. But still very, very wrong!!  

(Now we sit back and let the 'fur balls' fly...........lol)  8)

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Is this a typo(?).....don't you mean it ended December 31st, 2000 ? ???

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You'e quite right mate, I've fixed it. In my hast I was thinking of the year this cemtury began, sorry.  an Thanks.

Well Brensec, as you've already noticed it's easy to get confused when you start thinking about it. You're not the only one as I didn't spot your mistake until Redwing pointed it out. Logically at least, I think it would be much easier for everyone to start each new century with 00 or zero.

Another way to look at it is this. I was born in 1943. Consequently I was 1 year old in 1944. That doesn't mean I didn't exist until 1944. I was 60 years old in 2003. Make what you will of that. Confused yet? I know I am. LOL

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Of course, that was only the "Common Era" millenium, and according to a generally accepted convention.  Per the Julian calendar, it would have occured a bit earlier.

Then again, what's the fuss about the "21st century"?  Isn't the Jewish calendar into its 60th century?

That's the whole point (the car bit, I mean), which Hagar also referred to with his age.

The car started it's life at 000000 miles, and Hagar started his life at 0 years, 0 months and 0 Days etc.
When Hagar turned 1, he had been alive for 1 full year. 

Unfortunately, someone, and I have no idea who, decided to call the first 12 months immediately after the YOOL, as the year 1 AD (probably some Roman idiot!!    When it was really year 'dot', nix, nada, bupcus etc .

So consequently we now celebrate the finish of our decades and centuries at the end of the 9th and 99th year instead of the end of the 10th or 100th.
It really should be remedied!!..............lol 

By the way Webb, I'm not entirely sure what the significance of the Jewish calender is, but I seriously doubt it's the 'creation of the world'. The world has been around a little longer than 6000 years or so....... 
I have quite a good Tora. One of about three in the whole of Australia

I think it counts from Noah (that would be around the right time) or perhaps some other significant 'start over point' for humanity. 

I have a really good Tora. One of onlt about 6 in the whole of Australia...............lol  ( A joke, we don't have a very large population of Jews, in fact most Australians have never met one!).
I'll have to check and see if there's anything in there about the beginning of "recorded" time.
Either that, or pop along to one of the three or four Synagogues in the whole of Sydney, and ask the Rabbi. 

As a goy living in South Florida I've run into the Hebrew calendar a few times.  Jewish New Year is a legal holiday here.

The date is in years from the creation of the world.  The new year, however, does not begin on the first day of the first month but from some date near the Egyptian liberation.  If that's not confusing enough it's a lunar calendar which is about the most inaccurate type of calendar that can be devised.

http://www.jewfaq.org/calendar.htm

Long story short.  We all know the real millenium started on 01/01/01.   But that's no fun because there is no threat of a global computer meltdown on that date.  The theortical meltdown would occur on  01/01/00.  It's just a more fun date and most people don't (didn't) know the difference.

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This can only be the case if all this based on Jesus Christ's 1st birthday. If it's based on the day he was born (as with any other birthday or anniversary) it would have to be 1st Jan 2000.

It would all depend on who first decided on the date of Christ's birth, when this was agreed & which calendar was used. I don't know much about these things myself but I'm fairly certain the actual date is not known. Some say he was born during the summer months rather than near December/January. I'm not sure if the exact year is known either - by whichever calendar you use.

The Roman calendar would have been in use at the time these events took place. The Roman numerical system has no way to define zero. This was in use right up until recent times. It's still in use to today for certain documents (all Hollywood film copyright dates until very recently) & would certainly have been used by the translators of the Bible. You can write 10, 100 or 1,000 in Roman numerals (X, C or M) but there is no way to write 0. I suggest this is the most likely explanation for the missing year dot.

PS. While all this is very interesting I still think this discussion is pointless. The "great event" is over & done with & has been duly celebrated. I'm reasonably confident that none of us will be here to worry about when to celebrate the next one.