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A Brief History of [Daylight Saving] Time

Mar 10, 2019

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This Sunday, March 10 is Daylight Saving Time. Don’t forget to “spring forward” and set your clocks ahead one hour. Be prepared for earlier sunrises and more light in the evening, which means more light to enjoy the outdoors! We did a little research on the history of Daylight Saving to share with you:

 

Most people choose to give credit to Benjamin Franklin for the invention of Daylight Saving; however, he simply proposed an adjustment in sleep schedules to conserve energy. His theory was that the earlier workers woke up, they could accomplish jobs under free daylight as opposed to expensive candle use at night. The modern adoption of Daylight Saving Time was actually introduced in 1905 by Englishman William Willett. His 1907 brochure “The Waste of Daylight” sparked inspiration to move clocks forward between April and October to enjoy plentiful sunlight outside.

 

The first country to put Daylight Saving Time into action was Germany in 1916. They thought the idea was good for saving electricity. The United Kingdom followed suit a few weeks later. The measure was first implemented in America in 1918. While it was introduced to benefit agricultural workers, they deeply opposed the idea since they had to wait an extra hour for dew to evaporate before they could harvest their hay. There was a national repeal in 1919 to end Daylight Saving in America, but some cities continued to shift their clocks. It wasn’t until 1966 when the Uniform Time Act was introduced that the country settled back on a standard time frame to use for Daylight Saving.

 

Although most of the country is on the same page for Daylight Saving Time, there are still a few areas that do not practice it. Hawaii and Arizona are the states that choose not to participate. In addition, the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands also do not practice Daylight Saving. Certain Amish communities also exclude themselves from the practice.

 

So there’s your small history on Daylight Saving Time. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward this weekend and enjoy the extra sunshine!