Java Date.parse() is a static method in the Java Date class that converts a string representation of a date into the number of milliseconds since January 1, 1970, UTC. It is used for parsing string inputs into Date objects, particularly when dealing with legacy date formats. Introduced in Java 1995 with Java 1.0, parse() is commonly used in applications that require date parsing from user input or files.

https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/Date.html