The Common era, also known as the Christian era or the Current era (abbreviated to CE), is the period of measured time beginning with the year 1 on the Gregorian calendar. The notations CE and BCE (Before the Common Era) are alternative notations for AD (anno Domini, Latin for "in the year of (Our) Lord^[1]") and BC (Before Christ), respectively. The CE/BCE system of notation is chronologically equivalent to dates in the AD/BC system, i.e. no change in numbering is used and neither includes a year zero. The abbreviations may also be written C.E. and B.C.E. This article is about the year 1. ... The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world. ... Dionysius Exiguus invented Anno Domini years to date Easter. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...

The term common era is preferred by some as an alternative to the more overtly religious AD and BC, since Common Era does not explicitly make use of religious titles for Jesus, such as Christ and Lord, which are used in the AD/BC notation. Some criticize Common Era notation as a euphemism that does not alter the pivotal year one still centering on the life of Jesus. Many others criticize the notation as an unnecessary attempt at political correctness. This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Christ is the English translation of the Greek word (Christós), which literally means The Anointed One. ... A euphemism is an expression intended by the speaker to be less offensive, disturbing, or troubling to the listener than the word or phrase it replaces, or in the case of doublespeak to make it less troublesome for the speaker. ... Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ...

The phrase 'Common Era' has its equivalents in other languages: For example, since the People's Republic of China succeeded the Republic of China in 1949, most Chinese have used gōngyuán (公元) to mean AD/CE, gōngyuán can be literally translated as "public era" or "metric era" (gong is commonly used as a prefix to distinguish international or metric units from traditional Chinese units such as gongli meaning kilometre from the traditional Chinese li). Additionally, the term "CE" is preferred by academics in some fields (e.g., by the American Anthropological Association).^[2] American Anthropological Association (AAA) was founded in 1902 and claims to be, the worlds largest professional organization of individuals interested in anthropology. Although there were several other American anthropological societies in existence at the turn of the 20th century, this new, national organization was formed to promote the science...

During the 1800s, the phrase "common era," in lower case, was frequently used in a generic sense, not necessarily to refer to the Christian Era, but to any system of dates in common use throughout a civilization. Thus, "the common era of the Jews",^[3][4] "the common era of the Mahometans[sic]",^[5] "the common era of the foundation of Rome."^[6] When it did refer to the Christian Era, it was sometimes qualified, e.g. "the common era of the Nativity of Our Lord."^[7] or "the common era of the birth of our Saviour;"^[8]

Chronology and notation

Main article: Anno Domini

The calendar practice prompting the coining of the term common era is the system of numbering years from the supposed beginning of the life of Jesus. This system was devised by the monk Dionysius Exiguus in the year 525, who named it anno Domini. Two centuries later, the Anglo-Saxon historian Bede used a Latin term (ante incarnationis dominicae tempus) that is roughly equivalent to the English term before Christ to identify years before the first year of this era. Dionysius Exiguus invented Anno Domini years to date Easter. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Munichs city symbol celebrates its founding by Benedictine monks—and the origin of its name A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, the conditioning of mind and body in favor of the spirit. ... Dionysius Exiguus (Dennis the Little, meaning humble) (c. ... The famous parade helmet found at Sutton Hoo, probably belonging to King Raedwald of East Anglia circa 625. ... Depiction of Bede from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... BC may stand for: Before Christ (see Anno Domini) : an abbreviation used to refer to a year before the beginning of the year count that starts with the supposed year of the birth of Jesus. ...

The term "common era" is an alternative way of referring to this era. Using this nomenclature, human beings first walked on the moon in the year 1969 of the common era, and the French Revolution is considered to have begun in year 1789 of the common era. Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. ... i heart kate young The French Revolution was a period of major political and social change in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to...

When used as a replacement for BC/AD notation, the common era is abbreviated CE and its years are numerically equivalent to AD years. Similarly, the time before the common era is written as BCE and is equivalent to BC. Both Common Era abbreviations are written following the year, thus Aristotle was born in 384 BCE (or 384 BC), and Genghis Khan died in 1227 CE (or AD 1227). As with anno Domini, the year zero is not used, except for astronomical uses. So 1 CE is immediately preceded by 1 BCE. Aristotle (Greece: Aristotélēs) (384 BC – March 7, 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. ... For other uses, see Genghis Khan (disambiguation). ... A year zero does exist in the Christian Era and its Gregorian calendar but not in its anterior Julian calendar. ... Astronomical year numbering is based on BCE/CE (or BC/AD) year numbering, but follows normal decimal integer numbering more strictly. ...

On (rare) occasions, one may find the abbreviation "e.v." or "EV" instead of "CE";^[9] this stands for "Era Vulgaris", the Latin translation of "Common Era."

Gregorian versus Julian calendar

The terms common era, anno Domini, before the common era, and before Christ can be applied to dates that rely either on the Julian calendar or the Gregorian calendar. Modern dates are understood to be in the Gregorian calendar, but writers should specify the calendar for older dates. Dates in the Gregorian calendar have always used the common era, but a wide variety of eras have been used with the Julian calendar over the millennia. The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar and came into force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ... The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world. ...

Origins

The term "common era" has early antecedents. A 1716 book by English Bishop John Prideaux says, "The vulgar era, by which we now compute the years from his incarnation." In 1835, in his book Living Oracles, Alexander Campbell, wrote "The vulgar Era, or Anno Domini; the fourth year of Jesus Christ, the first of which was but eight days." In its article on General Chronology, the 1908 Catholic Encyclopedia uses the sentence: "Foremost among these (dating eras) is that which is now adopted by all civilized peoples and known as the Christian, Vulgar or Common Era, in the twentieth century of which we are now living".^[10] Alexander Campbell Alexander Campbell (September 12, 1788 – March 4, 1866) was an early leader of a movement that began in 1800 with the goal of removing divisions between Christians, by returning believers in the New Testament to principles of Truth and Union. ... The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by The Encyclopedia Press. ... The term vulgar originally meant of the common people, from the Latin vulgus. ...

"Vulgar" comes from the Latin word vulgāris (from vulgus, the common people), meant "of or belonging to the common people, everyday". By the late 1800s, however, vulgar had come to mean "crudely indecent" and the Latin word was replaced by its English equivalent, "common". Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...

Some Jewish academics had already been using the BCE abbreviation by the mid 1800's, such as in 1856, when Rabbi and historian, Morris Jacob Raphall used the abbreviation in his book Post-Biblical History of The Jews. 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Usage

People of other religious beliefs may prefer the notation's neutrality, while some Christians have used the term CE to mean Christian Era. Jehovah's Witnesses exclusively use CE and BCE in their publications, generally explaining in footnotes that the terms stand for "Common Era" and "Before the Common Era".^[11] Some non-religious academics in the fields of history, theology, archaeology, sociology, and anthropology have also in recent decades begun using this system. in 1930 was when the first traces of humans where discovered by cochroaches. ... Theology (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογια, logia, words, sayings, or discourse) is reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech/discourse) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Anthropolology (from the Greek word , man or person+knowledge) consists of the study of humanity (see genus Homo). ...

More visible uses of common era notation have recently surfaced at major museums in the English-speaking world: The Smithsonian Institution prefers Common Era usage, though individual museums are not required to use it.^[12] Furthermore, several style guides now prefer or mandate its usage.^[13] Even some style guides for Christian churches mandate its use: for example, the Maryland Church News.^[14] The Smithsonian Institution Building or Castle on the National Mall serves as the Institutions headquarters. ...

In the United States, the usage of the BCE/CE notation in textbooks is growing. The 2007 World Almanac was the first edition to switch over to the BCE/CE usage, ending a 138-year usage of the traditional BC/AD dating system. ^[15] It is used by the College Board in its history tests,^[16] as well as by some National Geographic Society publications,^[17] The Norton Anthology of English Literature, and the United States Naval Observatory.^[18] The US-based History Channel uses BCE/CE notation in articles on non-Christian religious topics such as Jerusalem and Judaism^[19] and uses BC (but neither CE nor AD) in other cases.^[20] The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... The College Board is a non-profit examination board in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB). ... Flag of the National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, is a not-for-profit scientific organization based in the United States. ... The Norton Anthology of English Literature is a well-known English Literary studies supplement for many tertiary level students. ... Aerial view of USNO. The United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is one of the oldest scientific agencies in the United States. ... The History Channel is a cable television channel, dedicated to the presentation of historical events and persons, often with frequent observations and explanations by noted historians as well as reenactors and witnesses to events, if possible. ... The city of Jerusalem is significant in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam. ...

In June of 2006, the Kentucky State School Board reversed its decision that would have included the designations BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era) in referring to dates.^[21]

Support and opposition to the use of CE/BCE over AD/BC

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.

A range of arguments exist both for and against the use of CE and BCE over AD and BC. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ...

Support

Supporters of common era notation promote it as a religiously-neutral notation suited for cross-cultural use.

Arguments given for changing to common era notation include:

• The calendar used by the West has become a global standard--one built into every computer's hardware. It should be religiously and culturally neutral out of consideration for those cultures compelled to use it out of necessity.^[22]

• It has been largely used by academic and scientific communities^[22] and is not a completely unfamiliar dating system.

• It is simple to change BC/AD to BCE/CE notation, since the years are numbered exactly the same in both (e.g., 33 BC becomes 33 BCE.) Documents with years that do not have AD designation do not need to be changed at all (e.g., 1066 remains 1066 in AD and in CE systems).^[22]

• The label Anno Domini is almost certainly inaccurate--the birth of Jesus of Nazareth probably occurred no later than 4 BC, the year of Herod the Great's death.^[22]

• Anno Domini (which means, literally, "in the year of the Lord") works well with specific dates, e.g., AD 655. But its use with centuries (and other time units such as decades and millennia) presents grammatical difficulties: AD 7th Century would mean, literally, "In the year of the Lord, 7th Century" — a syntactical error. The CE notation avoids this problem.

• "Forcing a Hindu, for example, to use AD and BC might be seen by some as coercing them to acknowledge the supremacy of the Christian god and of Jesus Christ."^[23] The Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance further state: "We use the terms CE and BCE throughout this web site because they are less hurtful to non-Christians."^[23]

• Although some claim that AD and BC have lost nearly all their religious significance, much of the opposition, some of it intense, to switching to usage of CE and BCE has been on religious grounds.^[24][23][22]

Hordos (Hebrew: הוֹרְדוֹס, ; Greek: , ; trad. ... Front page of Religious Tolerance. ...

Opposition

Efforts to replace AD/BC notation with CE/BCE notation have given rise to opposition. Arguments against the common era designation include:

• BC and AD have been used for such a length of time as to have become somewhat removed from their religious connotations.^[22]

• The newer BCE/CE system has not been used widely enough to have become commonly understood.^[22]

• Some argue against the BCE/CE system because it retains year 1 as its epoch which preserves a Christocentric world view. Thus, the relevance of the birth of Christ in its relation to the system remains unchanged. These people hold that a more drastic change in the calendar is needed.^[22]

• BCE/CE fails to fix one of the problems with the Christian calendar, the lack of a year zero, which makes calculations involving years that span both sides of the central year one year too large, unless one remembers to subtract one.^[22]

• The BCE/CE promotion distracts from the adoption of the system already used by astronomers, i.e. 0 for 1 BC, -1 for 2 BC, etc., which does resolve this problem and does not use any of the contentious acronyms (ref History Today, June 1999, p. 60, Darian Hiles, letter: "Of Dates and Decimals")

• There is no reason to change other than to be overzealously politically-correct, since the labels "A.D." and "B.C." are still equivalent; there is no need to change a system that does not need to be changed, and to do so is too radical.

• As there is no equally forceful trend to remove other terms with origins in non-Christian religions (such as those days of the week which in English are named after Norse gods), many argue that movement to replace BC and AD is specifically anti-Christian.^[22]

In chronology, an epoch is an instant chosen as the origin of a particular time scale. ... Christocentric is a doctrinal term within Christianity pertaining to teachings focused on Jesus Christ, the second person of the Christian Trinity, as opposed to the Holy Spirit or God the Father. ...

Other calendar eras

Main article: Calendar era

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Calendar era. (Discuss)

Several systems of calculating the year have existed: A calendar era is the year numbering system used by a calendar. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A calendar era is the year numbering system used by a calendar. ...

• The Hindu calendar constitutes four eras and the epoch of the present (fourth) era, the Kali Yuga, is January 23 3102 BCE on the proleptic (i.e., back dated) Gregorian calendar, making the current year (2007) 5109.

• The Hebrew calendar dates from the traditional Jewish date of Creation (according to which the year beginning in the northern autumn of 2000 was 5761 AM);

• Most Chinese do not assign numbers to the years of the Chinese calendar, but the few who do (expatriate Chinese and Westerners) date from the Yellow Emperor (three different systems are in use, which caused the Chinese years 4637, 4697, or 4698 to begin in early 2000).

• The Taiwanese calendar dates from the founding of the Republic of China in 1911.

• The Buddhist calendar dates from the passing away of the Buddha (making 2000, 2543 under this calendar, currently used in Thailand);

• The Indian national calendar (also the Saka calendar) is the official civil calendar in use in India. Years are counted in the Saka Era, which starts its year 0 in 78. 2007 is therefore 1929 in India.

• The Islamic calendar dates from the Hijra in 622 using a lunar year of about 354 days (so the Western year 2000 contains parts of 1420 AH and 1421 AH);

• The Jalaali calendar, a form of the Zoroastrian calendar, which is used in Iran, uses Zoroastrian months, but also starts from the Hijra in 622--thus the year 1386 begins in March 2007. The spring equinox marks the beginning of the year for this calendar.

• The Bahá'í calendar dates from the year of the declaration of the Báb. Years are counted in the Bahá'í Era (BE), which starts its year 1 from March 21, 1844.

• The Japanese calendar dates from the succession of the current Emperor of Japan. The current emperor took the throne in 1989, which became Heisei 1, but which was until then Shōwa 64.

• The French Revolutionary Calendar was used in Revolutionary France from October 24, 1793 (on the Gregorian calendar) to January 1, 1806. Years were counted using the Republican era from September 22, 1792 starting with year 1.

• The Roman Calendar, which is virtually extinct, dated years from the mythological founding of Rome, 21 April 753 BC. The first year was thus 1 AUC (ab urbe condita or anno urbis conditae; "from the city being founded", or "in the year of the foundation of the city"). Reckoning days by this calendar is complex and no longer in use, but the calendar continues today as 2760 AUC in 2007.

• The Discordian calendar follows the CE numbering plus 1166, presumably because of the Curse of Greyface that occurred in 1166 BCE. As a reference, 2007 is 3173 YOLD (Year of Our Lady of Discord) in the Discordian calendar.

• The Julian day number can be considered a very simple calendar, where its calendar date is just an integer. This is useful for reference, computations, and conversions. The Julian day system was introduced by astronomers to provide a single system of dates that could be used when working with different calendars and to unify different historical chronologies. Apart from the choice of the zero point and name, this Julian day and Julian date are not related to the Julian calendar. The Julian day or Julian day number (JDN) is the (integer) number of days that have elapsed since noon Greenwich Mean Time (UT or TT) Monday, January 1, 4713 BCE in the proleptic Julian calendar. This equals November 24, 4714 BCE in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. That noon-to-noon day is counted as Julian day zero. Thus the multiples of 7 are Mondays. Negative values can also be used. It does not count years, so, strictly speaking, it has no era, but it does have an epoch. Today (noon-to-noon UTC) the value is 2454151.

A page from the Hindu calendar 1871-72. ... yugas (Devnāgari: युग) In Hindu philosophy the cycle of evolution of life is divided into four yugs (epochs or eras): Satya Yuga or Krita Yuga Treta Yuga Dvapara Yuga Kali Yuga // The spiritual states of civilization in each yuga In Hindu tradition, the world goes through a continuous cycle of... Kali Yuga is also the title of a book by Roland Charles Wagner. ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... (5th millennium BC – 4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC - other millennia) // Events Sumerian city of Ur in Mesopotamia (40th century BC); Sumerian hegemony in Mesopotamia, with the invention of writing, base-60 mathematics, astronomy and astrology, civil law, complex hydrology, the sailboat, the wheel, and the potters wheel, 4000... The proleptic Gregorian calendar is produced by extending the Gregorian Calendar to dates preceding its official introduction in 1582. ... The Hebrew calendar (Hebrew: ) or Jewish calendar is the annual calendar used in Judaism. ... A calendar era is the year numbering system used by a calendar. ... The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, akin to the Hebrew calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. ... Yellow Emperor The Yellow Emperor or Huang Di (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: , pinyin: huángdì) is a legendary Chinese sovereign and cultural hero who is said to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese. ... Motto: Three Principles of the People (三民主義 San-min Chu-i) Anthem: National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei (de facto)  Nanking (de jure)1  Largest city Taipei Official languages Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  - President Chen Shui-bian  - Vice President Annette Lu  - Premier Su Tseng-chang... Motto: Three Principles of the People (三民主義 San-min Chu-i) Anthem: National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei (de facto)  Nanking (de jure)1  Largest city Taipei Official languages Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  - President Chen Shui-bian  - Vice President Annette Lu  - Premier Su Tseng-chang... The Buddhist calendar is used on mainland southeast Asia in the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar (formerly Burma) in several related forms. ... Media:Example. ... The Indian national calendar (sometimes called Saka calendar) is the official civil calendar in use in India. ... Centuries: 1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century Decades: 0s BC - 0s - 10s - 20s - 30s - 40s - 50s - 60s - 70s - 80s - 90s - 100s Years: 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 Events Romans conquer the Ordovices, located in present-day northern Wales, as well as the Silures. ... Gregorian and Julian calendars There is no year 0 in either the Gregorian calendar or the Julian calendar. ... The Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar (Arabic: التقويم الهجري; at-taqwÄ«m al-hijrÄ«; Persian: تقویم هجری قمری Gāhshomāri-ye Hejri; also called the Hijri calendar) is the calendar used to date events in many predominantly Muslim countries, and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic... For other uses see Hijra. ... The Iranian calendar (also known as Persian calendar or the Jalaali Calendar) is a solar calendar currently used in Iran and Afghanistan. ... The Zoroastrian calendar is a religious calendar used by members of the Zoroastrian faith, and it is an approximation of the (tropical) solar calendar. ... Zoroastrianism was adapted from an earlier, polytheistic faith by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) in Persia very roughly around 1000 BC (although, in the absence of written records, some scholars estimates are as late as 600 BC). ... For other uses see Hijra. ... The Baháí calendar, common to the Baháí Faith, is a solar calendar with regular years 365 days long and leap years 366 days long as explained within the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. ... Shrine of the Báb at night from above in Haifa, Israel. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Koinobori, flags decorated like koi, are popular decorations around Childrens Day This mural on the wall of a Tokyo subway station celebrates Hazuki, the eighth month. ... His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Akihito. ... The French Revolutionary Calendar or French Republican Calendar is a calendar proposed during the French Revolution, and in use by the French government for 13 years from 1793. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Roman calendar changed its form several times in the time between the foundation of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... Centuries: 9th century BC - 8th century BC - 7th century BC Decades: 800s BC 790s BC 780s BC 770s BC 760s BC - 750s BC - 740s BC 730s BC 720s BC 710s BC 700s BC Events and Trends 756 BC - Founding of Cyzicus. ... A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... The Discordian calendar is an alternative calendar used by some adherents of Discordianism. ... Discordianism has been described as both an elaborate joke disguised as a religion and a religion disguised as an elaborate joke. ... The Julian day or Julian day number (JDN) is the (integer) number of days that have elapsed since Monday, January 1, 4713 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar [1]. That day is counted as Julian day zero. ... A page from the Hindu calendar 1871-72. ... Note that this article includes some hyperlinked dates whose format is configurable in Special pages | Preferences. What you see may not be what the author intended. ... The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar and came into force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ... Water, Rabbit, and Deer: three of the 20 day symbols in the Aztec calendar, from the Aztec Sun Stone. ... Time zones of Europe: Light colours indicate countries not observing daylight saving Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich in England. ... Monday (pron. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... // Events 4860 BC - Mount Mazama in Oregon collapses, forming a caldera that later fills with water and becomes Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States. ... The proleptic Julian calendar is produced by extending the Julian calendar to dates preceding its official introduction in 45 BC. Historians since Bede have traditionally represented the years preceding AD 1 as 1 BC, 2 BC, etc. ... The proleptic Gregorian calendar is produced by extending the Gregorian Calendar to dates preceding its official introduction in 1582. ... A calendar era is the year numbering system used by a calendar. ... Look up epoch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

See also

• Calendar reform
• Within the context of archeology, one also encounters the term Before present (also known as before physics) with the abbreviation BP to indicate dates in years before 1950.

Calendar reform is any proposed reform of a calendar. ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... Before Present (BP) years are the units of time (counted backwards to the past) used to report raw radiocarbon ages and dates referenced to the BP scale origin in the year AD 1950 (identical to 1950 CE). ...

References

April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ...

External links

• The use of "CE" and "BCE" to identify dates (Religious Tolerance.org)
• Whatever happened to B.C. and A.D., and why? (United Church of Christ)
• NASA: Year dating conventions
• Associated Press: P.C. scholars take Christ out of B.C.
• The Columbia Guide to Standard American English (1993): A.D., B.C., (A.)C.E., B.C.E.