function returns
years as # of years since 1970 (even though
the dates are stored internally
as seconds since 1970). Giving
an apparent epoch of 1900 (even
though its really 1970).
Also, most databases represent
dates as YYYY-MM-DD, but
some don't allow dates before 1900.
1900 as an epoch is more common in application
programs than at the OS level.