Do you remember to change your clocks when Day-light Saving Time rolls around? Believe it or not, nearly 70 countries world wide participate in Day-light Saving Time in some way or another.
Day-light Saving Time was actually the brain child of Benjamin Franklin in his essay called “An Economical Project“. He wrote it while living in France. The funny thing is that Mr. Franklin intended the whole thing as a joke poking fun at the party-going, late rising French that he was living among at the time. He proposed that the time should be changed to allow the French people to rise closer to the sunrise so that they would go to bed closer to the sunset, thus saving candle and lamp oil. His proposal, being in jest, suggested that the time be changed by several hours rather than the one hour commonly used today. A few people, missing the point, took the essay to heart and began to experiment with changing their clocks to reflect the changing sunlight hours.
Day-light Saving Time did not catch on until 1916, during World War I, when several European nations moved their clocks ahead to save energy. Shortly afterwards, in 1918, the United States followed suit and passed “An Act to preserve daylight and provide standard time for the United States”. Day-light Saving Time was repealed in the U.S. a mear seven months after it was established, due to the fact that it was so unpopular. This is not surprising as the country at that time was far more rural and farming based. Any farmer will tell you, “The cows get up at the same time, no matter what the clock says.”
Day-light Saving Time was re-established in 1942 in the U.S. in response to World War II. It was given the name “War Time” and was again revoked shortly after the war ended. After that, states, counties, cities and towns could choose individually if they wanted to observe Day-Light Saving Time. This of course caused all sorts of confusion.
The matter was finally standardized by the passing of the 1966 “Uniform Time Act”. The Act simply stated that if a state wished to participate in Day-light Saving Time, it must do so in a standard way state-wide.
Most of Europe has also observed Day-light Saving Time for many decades as well, although many call it something different than Day-light Saving Time. For example, in the UK, it is refered to as “British Summer Time”.
Despite the fact that Day-light Saving Time has been around for many years and is for the most part accepted by most, there are still those who oppose it, saying that the idea is outdated, annoying and dangerous. According to several studies, the number of accidents reported rises during the week following the “Spring Ahead” portion of Day-light Saving Time. Many people simply find it annoying that they must change their clocks. But more than a few studies show that there is a significant energy savings when Day-Light Saving Time is in place.
If you live in the US, Day-Light Saving Time starts April 4 at 2:00AM this year, so mark your calendars. If you forget, you atleast know you will be early for any appointment you may have that Sunday.