The Windows epoch starts on 1601-01-01. I always assumed that was because it slightly simplifies the calculation, as described in the article. But it's not as good as the article's method of counting backwards.
Relevant Old New Thing: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20090306-00/?p=18...
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/10849717/what-is-the-sig...
Relevant Old New Thing: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20090306-00/?p=18...
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/10849717/what-is-the-sig...