In March, we spring forward. How did this practice of Daylight Saving Time (DST) begin?
What Is Daylight Saving Time?
Daylight Saving Time is the practice of changing the clocks forward one hour from stand time during the summer months and changing them back again in the fall. Then general idea is that this allows us all to make better use of natural daylight; however; DST has many detractors.
NOTE: that it’s called “Daylight Saving” (not “Savings”). OK, now that is out of the way.
On March 8th, 2020 we will spring forward and set our clocks an hour ahead of time thus losing an hour of sleep…..I can already hear the moans and groans. We always do this on Saturday before going to bed…..usually!!!!
So on November 1, 2020 we will officially fall back one hour. Except for the American Samoa, most of Arizona, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rick, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Why Is There Daylight Saving Time:
Here’s the short history of this phenomenon….
Credit for Daylight Saving Time is often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, who suggested the idea in 1784 as a joke. British-born New Zealander George Hudson proposed the concept in 1885 but was ridiculed. The idea was revived in 1907, when William Willett, an Englishman, proposed a system in the pamphlet The Waste of Daylight.
The Germans were the first to officially adopt the light-extending system in 1915 as a fuel saving measure during World War 1. The British switched one year late, and the United States followed in 1918 when Congress passed the Standard Time Act, which established our time zones. This experiment lasted only until 1920, when the law was repealed due to opposition from dairy farmers (cows don’t pay attention to clocks)
During World War !!, Daylight Saving Time was imposed once again (this time year-round) to save fuel. Since then, Daylight Saving Time has been used on and off, with different start and end dates. Currently, Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday in November.