History of 0 in Timeline

Zero (0) represents an empty quantity and serves as the additive identity across various number systems, meaning adding 0 to any number doesn't change its value. Multiplying any number by 0 always results in 0. Division by zero is undefined in arithmetic due to this property. Zero's unique characteristics make it a fundamental concept in mathematics and other scientific fields.

January 1904: Classic Mac OS epoch and Palm OS epoch begin

In January 1904, both the Classic Mac OS epoch and the Palm OS epoch began. This epoch marks the date and time associated with a zero timestamp in those operating systems, starting the midnight before January 1, 1904.

1907: Pronunciation of "oh" in years

In 1907, the number 0 was often pronounced as "oh" when reading out the year, as in "nineteen oh seven". This pronunciation helps to distinguish the digit from the letter O, especially in contexts like telephone numbers and addresses.

January 1970: Unix epoch begins

In January 1970, the Unix epoch began, marking the date and time associated with a zero timestamp in computing. It starts the midnight before January 1, 1970.

2017: Radiocarbon dating of Bakhshali manuscript

In 2017, researchers at the Bodleian Library reported radiocarbon dating results from three samples of the Bakhshali manuscript. The results indicated that the samples came from three different centuries: AD 224–383, AD 680–779, and AD 885–993. The oldest fragments could represent South Asia's earliest use of the zero symbol.