6th millennium

Millennia:	5th millennium 6th millennium 7th millennium
Centuries:	51st century 52nd century 53rd century 54th century 55th century 56th century 57th century 58th century 59th century 60th century

The sixth millennium is a period of time that will begin on January 1, 5001, and will end on December 31, 6000.

Astronomical events

• 5001 September 11: Mercury occults Regulus. This would also be the 3000th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
• c. 5200 Iota Cephei replaces Gamma Cephei as the North Star, which it has been from around 3000.
• 5366 August 27: Venus occults Aldebaran, the first occultation of Aldebaran by a planet since July 15, 18,980 BC
• 5898 August 30: Venus occults Regulus
• 5965 date unknown:the sat/10 falls back to earth after 4000 years
• 5974 September 25: Mercury occults Regulus

Science predictions

• 5200: Formation of a Type II civilization under the Kardashev scale, according to Kardashev's extrapolation of 1% energy usage growth per year.

Science fiction

• The 51st century is the original timezone of Magnus Greel in the 1977 Doctor Who serial The Talons of Weng-Chiang. Greel was "Minister of Justice" under the tyrannical "Supreme Alliance," and responsible for the deaths of 100,000 people, earning him the epithet "the Butcher of Brisbane." In 5000, the Filipino Army defeats the Alliance at the Battle of Reykjavík, during the closing stages of World War V. Using zygma-energy powered time travel technology, Greel escapes to the 19th century Chinese Empire and steals energy from women to survive, but dies in Victorian London.

• There are many references to the 51st century in the revived series of Doctor Who. One of the Doctor's companions, Captain Jack Harkness, originates from the 51st century, although it is unclear whether or not he or his parents participated in the events of World War V described above.

• The events of "The Girl in the Fireplace" partly take place during sometime in the 51st Century, on a spaceship inhabitated by malfunctioning clockwork robots, who open time windows to the past. The two part story "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead" and part of the events of "The Time of Angels", each involving River Song are also set during this period, partly in a prison River Song is in. This is also the home time of K-9 Mark I. Apparently by this time humanity has spread to many worlds around the cosmos.

• In the sci-fi/fantasy series, The Pendragon Adventure, the territory (dimension) of Third Earth exists in 5010, the future of Second Earth (and in that sense, First Earth as well, which takes place in 1937). It is presented as a utopian society, with almost every man-made structure situated underground or in space, leaving the surface of the Earth to flourish.

• Around 5020, the events in Orson Scott Card's books, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide and Children of the Mind, of the Ender's Game Series take place.

• In the Blake and Mortimer universe, this is the last century of existence for an unnamed world totalitarian government, which originally took over in the late 21st century.
  In 5060, a worldwide revolution, commanded by Focas, overthrows this regime and presumably builds a better and more just world.

• In 5161 (or, more accurately, CY 10087), the Andromeda Ascendant will be rescued by the crew of the Eureka Maru (for the television series Andromeda).

• In Terror from the Year 5000, a 1958 American science fiction film, A time machine made by Professor Howard Erling brings back a deformed woman from circa 5200 AD.

• In 5700, in the DC Comics universe, the Green Lantern at this point will be Pol Manning (actually an identity taken by Hal Jordan and Salakk).

• In reference to this, according to Amalgam Comics continuity, the Iron Lantern at this point will be Arno Manning, defending a futuristic Coast City.

• The Japanese anime Yat Anshin Uchuu Ryokou takes place in the year 5808.'

• In the SpongeBob SquarePants episode, "Sponge Henge," the end of the episode shows a clip 3000 years away from the year 2007, the year the episode was aired. So the end took place in the year 5007.

Music

• According to the song "In the Year 2525" by Zager and Evans, by the year 5555, machines will have taken over all physical tasks, eventually rendering man's arms and legs useless.

References

• Conjunctions of Regulus and the planets (in German)