You own a VCR. Everyone owns a VCR. You've heard about the Y2K problem. Everyone's heard about the Y2K problem. You wonder if your VCR has a Y2K problem. Maybe, you even know that your VCR has a Y2K problem.

Stop. You may not need a new VCR.

Every 28 years the calendar repeats.

The year begins on the same day it did 28 years yearlier. And, it either is or is not a leap year just like it was 28 years earlier.

Ok. There are exceptions. 1900 and 2100 exceptions. But 1901 through 2099 is fine. Surely that's good enough for this discussion.

This means that if you have a VCR that can't handle the year 2000 you don't need to buy a new one. Just set the date back 28 years to 1972 and you will be just fine. January 1, 1972 is the same day of the week as January 1, 2000. The same is true of February 29, July 4, and December 25.

By the way, this also works if the VCR stops working in 2010, or 2020 or . . . . Just set the clock back 28 years.

This page created:
before
Fri, 25.Oct.2002

Last updated:
01:11, Thu, 02.Sep.2010