The Navy Birthday year is 1775; this year belongs to which century?

• A. 18th century
• B. 17th century
• C. 19th century
• D. 20th century

Answer: (A)

Centuries are counted in blocks of 100 years, starting with year 1 in the first century. The eighteenth century runs from 1701 to 1800, so any year in that span, including 1775, belongs to the eighteenth century. A common shortcut is to think in terms of the “1700s,” but the actual century begins in 1701, not 1700, which is the end of the seventeenth century. So the Navy Birthday year 1775 is in the eighteenth century.