Let's reset the calendar!

[erimir]

If you were gonna reset the calendar such that CE/AD and BCE/BC were centered around a different date, what historical event would you choose to center it around?

Some example events:
Rise of the Mongol hordes (undoubtedly a major event in the history of many major civilizations)
beginning of the Roman Empire (not far from the current center)
Christopher Columbus makes landfall in the Carribean
Mohammed receives the Qur'an as a revelation
The beginning of the Jewish calendar
Beginning of the Chinese calendar
the Russian Revolution
the French Revolution (the French used such a calendar for a period of time)
the American Revolution
Darwin publishes the Origin of Species
the Apollo moon landing

If I recall, I've heard that the current calendar isn't even centered properly - that Jesus, if real, was likely born a few years before 1 AD. Besides, it would seem to make more sense from a Christian perspective to center it around his crucifiction/resurrection.

I think a pretty good argument could be made for the discovery of the New World. I think that was more of a world changing event than many of the others.

[ChuckF]

Happy Octidi de Fructidor!

Since calendar eras are arbitrary, the Gregorian calendar is just as good as any other, and accurate to boot. It gets more complicated when choosing dates that are more modern and therefore have greater documentation and precision (i.e. which Russian Revolution?). When choosing more vague events (e.g. rise of Mongol horde), we're right back to the same problem of arbitrariness posed by the Christian era calendar.

[fromdownunder]

The French actually tried this immediately after the Revolution. I think the idea lasted about two years or maybe even less.

Norm

(never mind, apologies to the OP which I did not read properly before posting)

[ChuckF]

The Republican calendar lasted with varying degrees of acceptance until Napoleon abolished it in 1805, because of the numerous problems and confusion it caused. Changing calendars can be tricky in a literate, bureaucratic state.

[California Tanker]

1945 becomes reset to 1AA (Atomic Age)
1961 becomes reset to 1SA (Space Age)

NTM

[erimir]

I asked when you would reset it to, not whether you thought we ought to.

I don't think we ought to since it's not worth the effort, pretty much.

[Dingfod]

I think the calendar should be reset to zero at Oct. 8th, 1955. All dates would be BD and AD (Before Dingfod and After Dingfod). Right now it is the year 50, soon to be 51.

[erimir]

You stole that from Calvin & Hobbes.

Maybe.

[ChuckF]

First monkey in space. This would be year 57.

[Corona688]

The UNIX epoch, 1970-01-01. It would make time calculations SO MUCH EASIER.

[Johnny Pneumatic]

1947 reset to 1AT (After Transistor)

1969 reset to 1AT (After Tranquility)

789BCE reset to 1AA (After Aku)