Your new tech is still stuck in the year 1970 — here's why

Don’t worry; your computer isn’t being transported back to the past.

By Ben Stegner Nov. 14, 2026 11:45 am EST Brianajackson/Getty Images Add Engadget on Google: Google Discover

There's a good chance you've seen the date January 1, 1970 on a computer or other device, even if you weren't alive back then. You might assume this represents a significant date in computing, or that it's a random placeholder date for when a machine fails to read the time. In actuality, while the date is not special in itself, it represents an important part of how computers keep time.