8.09.2011

Born in the 19th century?

I’m used to hearing people confuse the 1800s with the 18th century (they constitute the 19th century), but the program for a play I attended this weekend stated that the drama was set in the “19th century.” However, radio broadcasts played a prominent role in the plot, the music was swing-era pop, and the action seemed to be set in the late 1940s.

It’s bad enough having been born in the last millennium, but I protest against my age being stretched by a whole century!

For more on this subject, see the entry “hundreds/century” on p. 114 of the book, or read the entry on my Web site.

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