The 20th century started on 1 January 1901 and ended on 31st of December 2000, according to the Gregorian calendar. Many individuals confuse the 20th century and the so-called nineteen-hundreds (1900s).
However, a number of arguments have been put forward to justify the common usage. One advanced by Stephen Jay Gould is that the first decade consisted of only nine years, thus contradicting the definition of a decade (ten years). Another argument is that the astronomical year numbering system for years does have a year zero, the year generally referred to as 1 BC. In 2000 the International Organization for Standardization clarified ISO 8601 to use the astronomical year numbering system, which could be interpreted as retroactively endorsing all those who had celebrated the new century a few months earlier. Also, decades are almost always considered as starting with the "0" year and named accordingly ("1960s", etc.).
The term is also used to describe various historical periods that overlap with the calendar definition, most notably the Short twentieth century, which describes the 20th Century as spanning from 1914 to 1989 (or sometimes up to and including 1990 or 1991), relegating the pre-World War I 1900s into the 19th Century and putting the post-Soviet 1990s at the beginning of the 21st Century.
More on [ 20th century ]

20th Century Theatre Database - An archive of articles on twentieth century theatre.
Meta Description: [ An index of articles on 20th century theatre. ]
Anne de Mare - New York City playwright Anne de Mare - play descriptions, short texts, production photos, and animated plays.
Meta Description: [ New York City playwright Anne de Mare - play descriptions, short texts, production photos, etc. ]
Arnold Wesker - Official website of the British dramatist.
Meta Description: [ The Official Web-site of Arnold Wesker ]
Bermann, Karl - Paradise Infirm - Precis of the play about peasant life in Puerto Rico with modern overtones written by Karl Bermann, based on the 19th century novel La Charca by Manuel Zeno Gandía. Also, ordering information.
Final Exit - Realities of life choices and the consequences of those choices depicted through the medium of interactive drama.
Gill, Peter - Information on the work of playwright and director. This site is also intended to stimulate interest in the Peter Gill Studio, for which he is seeking more secure funding.
Meta Description: [ Playwright and theatre director Peter Gill who directed at the Royal Court, founded Riverside Studios and the National Theatre Studio. ]
Goulding, Philip - Details of his original works and his adaptations of plays.
Mary Miller - Summaries and excerpts from her plays; short biography.
Meta Description: [ Miller, Mary - award-winning playwright and author ]
Saunders, James - British experimental playwright: includes biography, bibliography, and e-text of unpublished play Squat
Meta Description: [ 20th Century European experimental and Theatre of the Absurd dramatist, dramatist, for many years resident at Richmond's Orange Tree Fringe Theatre ]
500
Sontag, Susan: Alice in Bed - Synopsis of the play.
Theater of the Absurd - Grolier Encyclopedia definition of the movement by Martin Esslin.
Turvin, Mark S.P. - Synopses and dialogue samples of original one-acts, full-lenghts and ten minute-plays.
| Cry | |
| Next Video | |