The 21st century began on January 1, 2001 and will end on December 31, 2100. It is the first century of the 3rd millennium. Late-20th-century quote from BIll Gates: "Another sign of a healthy, competitive industry is lower prices. The statistics show that the cost of computing has decreased ten million fold since 1971. That's the equivalent of getting a Boeing 747 for the price of a pizza."