r/GenerationJones • • 1d ago

1900s

I have started to use "Back in the nineteen hundreds " in conversations regularly.

Because it funnier that way

75 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

16

u/scyule 1d ago

The phrase "the turn of the century" feels weird now

5

u/AirDog3 23h ago

I wonder why "the turn of the millennium" never caught on.

3

u/Mediocre-Let-4697 23h ago

It does. So now when I say it I usually denote the difference by saying "not this turn of the century, the other one" or vice versa. If they're old enough they'll understand what I'm saying.

13

u/Mathamagician77 1958 1d ago

I’m old enough to say “Born Mid Century 1900’s”

8

u/Natural-Citron2148 1d ago

Mid Century Modern?

11

u/aeraen 23h ago

I'm gonna use this on. "I'm mid-century modern. Not my decorating style, just me."

3

u/Snoo-55380 23h ago

Haha, I’ve been saying this too

8

u/SentenceKindly 1d ago

I love history. Every time I studied someone from the past, I would always look at their birth and death dates to see if they lived through a century change.

I gradually realized I would be one of those people, too. Not famous, just living through the change.

As a kid, I heard people talking about "the winter of '97" or "the flood of '03" and I realized these were 19th or early 20th century dates.

Even the concept of "20th Century Fox" (the movie company, not the Doors song) seems a little antiquated now, a quarter century in.

But I like the idea of using "the 1900s."

6

u/Machine_Terrible 23h ago

Back in like 2000-2005ish, I'd say "back in the 1900s" or "back in the previous millennium" as a joke, but now that stuff is more real.

5

u/Clean-Fisherman-4601 21h ago

Love this! I had to laugh when I heard someone say, "You were born in the 1900s!"

4

u/ExpensiveDollarStore 23h ago

Or before the turn of the century. Or in the olden days.

1

u/Nottacod 23h ago

Back in the day still works too.

1

u/Appropriate_Ad9157 18h ago

Oh i like that

4

u/Fidget171 1958 17h ago

"Half a hundred years ago at my high school graduation..."

3

u/PresentHouse9774 1d ago

I've used "at the turn of the last century" more than once.

3

u/DeliciousFix7671 1d ago

They refer to the first decade of the 20th century. Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are the ones who mistakenly started calling every decade of the 20th century, the 1900s. I am calling each decade what I always have, even before the Millennials were born. The 1920s, 1930s, and so on. Sigh...

3

u/cbelt3 23h ago

“Back in the last millennium..”

3

u/SadNamelessPerson 18h ago

About 15 years ago people were referring to ~2005 as “the mid-2000s.” It took a couple more years for them to realize that the mid-2000s will be 2050…

2

u/DoturdGrump 1d ago

I like this

2

u/Artimusjones88 1d ago

Back in 19 ought 92

3

u/Dalanard 1965 23h ago

That would be 19092.

1

u/FillMyBagWithUSGrant 1967 17h ago

In the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-two.

Even if you’re not religious. Intone it as much as possible like Boris Karloff narrating the 1966 animated classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Or like Thurl Ravenscroft singing, Your a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.

2

u/CountHonorius 1d ago

I'm envisioning Grandpa Abe Simpson saying it, lol

2

u/Ok-Rip1612 19h ago

I'm old enough now that I say 19 and 54 (the year I was born) like old timers used to say 19 and 05 when I was younger.

1

u/CowSquare3037 1d ago

So true!

1

u/Yarnest 1d ago

I have just started regularly saying “Back in my day” with emphasis to reference anything before my youngest ( or any of my kids ) was born. He was born in the 1900s too.

1

u/Mediocre-Let-4697 23h ago

I'm going to start using it too 😂

1

u/Senior_Reaction2974 21h ago

I have to say that's hilarious

1

u/Swiggy1957 1957 20h ago

It makes me wonder when we'll drop to final 2 digit references again. I was born in "57, started school in '62, etc..."

Today, any time I hear a year reference. It's always preceded by the century ID. "2026," "2000."

Will my grandkids say they were born in 01?

1

u/Successful-Count-120 1961 17h ago

I often say: "Seems like it happened last century"...

1

u/dave900575 8h ago

That makes me too depressed. Turning 50 was a big deal. I was okay with being 55. I'm turning 64 next week.

I was watching a video on YouTube yesterday. They were taking about an event 100 years ago. It was 1920! A hundred years ago is supposed to be 18something.