20th century research and practice of science led to advancement in the fields of communication, engineering, travel, medicine, and war. 20th century The 20th (twentieth) century was a century that began on January 1, 1901 and ended on December 31, 2000. It was the tenth and final century of the 2nd millennium. It is distinct from the century known as the 1900s which began on January 1, 1900 and ended on December 31, 1999. The 20th century was dominated by a chain of events that heralded significant changes in world history as to redefine the era: flu pandemic, World War I and
Decade 1960 to 1969, "the 197th decade" spans 1961 through 1970. A decade may also refer to an arbitrary span of ten years. For example, the statement "during his last decade, Mozart explored chromatic harmony to a degree rare at the time", merely refers to the last ten years of Mozart's life without regard to which calendar years are encompassed. Particularly for the 20th century, a nominal decade is often used to refer not just to a set of ten years but rather to a period roughly approximating those ten years - for example, the phrase "the sixties" often refers to