The Decade and Milleniums match up so 2000 was the first year of the millennium BBC note the date the article was written The new millenium was celebrated across the world on midnight of December 31st 1999 January 1st 2000 In reality there probably should have been a year 0 0 is as much a number as any other number meaning the current year should be 2009 In the same way an hour does not start one second after a minute a millennium does not start one year after a decade At midnight 31st December 1999 every degree of time changed so there was new second minute hour day week month year decade Why should millennium be any different seconds minutes hours days months years and decades do not have a 0 value eg seconds mins hrs is 1 59 days is 1 365 months is 1 21 and years start at 1 so everything that started at 1 changed to a new degree of time therefore is makes sense that both decades and milleniums which also both start at 1 not 0 would also start anew It is only logical to have the discrepancy 2000 ish years ago that fact there is no year 0 rather than in the present which affects the people who are alive