Unix epoch timestamp 1 converts to January 1, 1970, 0:00:01 UTC (Thursday). This is 1 seconds after the Unix epoch (January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC). In ISO 8601 format it is 1970-01-01T00:00:01Z.

What Is Epoch 1?

Q: How do I convert epoch 1 in Python?

In Python, use datetime.utcfromtimestamp(1) to get the UTC datetime, or datetime.fromtimestamp(1) for local time. The result is January 1, 1970, 0:00:01 UTC.

Q: What is epoch 1 in milliseconds?

Epoch 1 in milliseconds is 1000. Multiply any Unix timestamp in seconds by 1000 to get milliseconds, which is the format used by JavaScript's Date.now() and Java's System.currentTimeMillis().

Epoch 1 is January 1, 1970, 0:00:01 UTC (Thursday).

Breakdown

The Unix timestamp 1 represents exactly 1 seconds (1 second) after the Unix epoch (January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC). In ISO 8601 format, this is 1970-01-01T00:00:01Z. The timestamp equals 0.000 billion seconds, and in milliseconds it is 1000.

This is one second after the Unix epoch began. It represents the very first tick of Unix time, making it the smallest meaningful positive Unix timestamp.

UTC	Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:01 GMT
ISO 8601	1970-01-01T00:00:01Z
Day of Week	Thursday
US Eastern	Wednesday, December 31, 1969 at 7:00:01 PM EST
Milliseconds	1000
Seconds Since Epoch	1

Code Examples

Python

from datetime import datetime, timezone

# Convert epoch 1 to UTC datetime
dt = datetime.fromtimestamp(1, tz=timezone.utc)
print(dt)  # 1970-01-01T00:00:01+00:00

# Format as human-readable string
print(dt.strftime("%A, %B %d, %Y %H:%M:%S UTC"))
# Thursday, January 1, 1970, 0:00:01 UTC

JavaScript

// Convert epoch 1 to Date
const date = new Date(1 * 1000);
console.log(date.toISOString());  // 1970-01-01T00:00:01Z
console.log(date.toUTCString());  // Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:01 GMT

// Get individual components
console.log(date.getUTCFullYear());  // 1970
console.log(date.getUTCMonth() + 1); // 1

Go

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "time"
)

func main() {
    t := time.Unix(1, 0).UTC()
    fmt.Println(t.Format(time.RFC3339)) // 1970-01-01T00:00:01Z
    fmt.Println(t.Weekday())            // Thursday
}

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert epoch 1 in Python?

Use datetime.fromtimestamp(1, tz=timezone.utc) from the datetime module. This returns a timezone-aware datetime object representing January 1, 1970, 0:00:01 UTC. For naive datetimes, use datetime.utcfromtimestamp(1), though the timezone-aware version is preferred in modern Python.

What is epoch 1 in milliseconds?

Epoch 1 in milliseconds is 1000. JavaScript, Java, and many APIs use millisecond timestamps. To convert, multiply the seconds-based timestamp by 1000. To go back, divide by 1000 and drop the remainder.

Is epoch 1 in the past or future?

Epoch 1 is in the past. It occurred on January 1, 1970, which was 20,554 days ago.

Try the full Epoch Converter to convert any timestamp instantly.