3 HN users recommended this explainer3 months2018–2025score 3.5
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
Linked whenever year numbering or the Holocene calendar comes up as the accessible introduction to the idea.
Kurzgesagt explains the Holocene or Human Era calendar, which adds 10,000 years to the current year to anchor dates to the start of human civilization. It argues this gives a more sensible frame for human history.
“Kurtzgesagt has a really great video about the subject” (HN, 2025)
I've become an unironic proponent of HE, the Human Era. For CE dates, we just add 10000 (I'm writing this from 12025). But for BCE dates, they're subtracted and it makes things so much clearer when it comes to telling how long ago something was. E.g. the sundial was invented around 6000 HE, steel was developed around 9000 HE. Kurtzgesagt has a really great video about the subject: [this video] There's also a timeline in HE that covers many major historical events: [link]
It might not be what you were thinking, but the YouTube channel Kurzgesagt has 2 very good videos on the topic: [link] [this video] His stuff is well sourced and generally reliable.
Well-sourced, generally reliable videos on the topic
I'm all for leaving a religious calendar and using the Holocene calendar. Just add 10,000 to your dates and you're set. [link] If you don't mind videos, here's a good explanation of it [this video]
This reminded me of a proposal to add a leading 1 to our year[2020 -> 12020]: [this video] Cesare Emiliani proposed that the Construction of the Göbekli Tepe 12,000 years ago could represent a "start of civilization", creating a "holocene calendar". [link] [link] [link]
Cesare Emiliani and Kurzegesagt make the case that we think of world civilization as much newer than it is, because our year count is now only to 2021. They argue for instead bumping our year by 10,000 to more truly reflect the age of our civilization, to 12,021, and (arbitrarily) commemorating Göbleki Tepe as its foundation [link] [this video] (2016 or 12016)
If we're using 5 digits, add 10K years: we're in year 12021 of this Holocene calendar. (Happy palindrome year!) 0 is pre-history, some of the very first permanent construction. An 8min video by Kurzgesagt on it: [this video]
Reminds me of the Holocene Calendar, which argues for setting the year 0 ten thousand years earlier to include all of major human history. So instead of writing 02022 AD it would become 12022 HE, for Human Era. It would mean to update these date libraries fast though... An episode of kurzgesagt about this topic: [this video]
As a sidenote, I love that you reference 1973 as 01973. I suggest considering labeling even as 11973, based on some reasonable humanist-based information.[0] [0] [this video]
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