History of Daylight Saving Time – Fall Back
HISTORY OF DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME – ENDING
Daylight Saving Time, or DST, is a clever campaign to convince us that we’re getting more daylight each day when, in reality, we’ve simply changed our clocks and then forgotten about it within two weeks.
DST begins each year at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March in most of the United States and its territories; however, some places have not bought into this campaign: it is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the city of South Bend, Indiana nor the state of Arizona… except for the Navajo Indian Reservation, which does observe DST.
Standard Time
Each year at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November, we return to Standard Time. This is the time in the Fall to “Fall” back by moving your clocks back one hour at the resumption of Standard Time.
In the Spring, we “Spring” forward an hour, losing an hour of sleep, and finally realizing where we get the names for half of the seasons of the year.
However, with DST for Summer now occurring before the vernal equinox, which brings Spring, should we say “March forward”? What about the Southern Hemisphere, which has the opposite seasons?
Why so many changes? Is this campaign on a roll? Is it gaining energy? Indeed, it is all about energy… and of course, money.
Daylight Saving Energy
Back on August 8, 2005, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Before 2007, DST began at 2:00 a.m. (local time) on the first Sunday in April and ended at 2:00 a.m. (local time) on the last Sunday in October. The new rules for DST beginning in 2007 mean an extra four or five weeks of DST each year.
There is now a total of 238 days of DST, compared to a total of 210 days of DST in 2006 under the previous rules, and the U. S. will remain on DST for about 65% of the year. So, think about it: DST is now in effect for most of the year.
Daylight Saving Worldwide
It has spread to other countries as well, but is cloaked under other names. In the European Union (EU), it is known as the Summer Time Period and runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. Most of Canada uses DST, except the majority of Saskatchewan and parts of northeastern British Columbia, but Manitoba and Ontario follow the US model to maintain a “competitive advantage” with its major trading partner.
In Russia, though, they can’t get enough: they add an extra hour. During the Summer, Russia’s clocks are two hours ahead of standard time. During the winter, all 11 Russian time zones are one hour ahead of standard time. China and other parts of Asia and Africa ignore it completely. Closer to the equator, where the hours of daylight are similar throughout the seasons, they can see things more clearly and are not fooled by the need for this “daylight saving” campaign.
Daylight Saving Interrogative
At this point, you’re probably asking,
“Bill… Petro… dot com, where did this all begin?“
and well you might ask. Blame it on the trains… at least in Canada. Before 1883, major cities used to set their clocks according to local astronomical conditions. However, the advent of railroads necessitated a way to standardize schedules, leading to the introduction of “time zones.” Canada’s Sir Sandford Fleming advocated for this time zone and hourly variation, which was adopted at the International Prime Meridian Conference in Washington the following year.
But it did not see universal use. Various parts of the world experienced controversy concerning the impact on agriculture, outdoor activities, and business. Cows, for example, are notoriously bad at reading clocks. The newfangled digital ones are quite beyond them.
Daylight Saving Sponsors
Many credit American Benjamin Franklin with introducing the modern idea in 1784, while serving as an envoy to France, as a way of economizing on candles by rising earlier. Englishman William Willett sponsored DST throughout his life in the early 20th century. Germany and its territories utilized it throughout World War I, and Britain and many of its allies later followed suit.
America standardized on it during World War I to save on coal usage. It was standardized again, year-round during World War II, and again for two years during the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, both as a means of saving energy.
Money
Where does money come in? While we continued using DST following WWI, it fell into disuse in America between WWI and WWII. New York City bankers and brokers made efforts to reinstate it to capitalize on the extra hour of arbitrage that DST permitted with the London markets. The New York Board of Aldermen lobbied for it in Washington, D.C., and saw it made into law in 1920.
Early to bed, and early to rise,
makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
–Benjamin Franklin
Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com
Hi! I stumbled upon your blog this morning as I did a search on the history of “A Christmas Carol.” Thank you for writing that post last December. My students enjoyed it.
~Maria
Today it is almost always one hour ahead, but throughout history there have been several variants on this, such as half adjustment (30 minutes) or double adjustment (two hours), and adjustments of 20 and 40 minutes have also been used. A two-hour adjustment was used in several countries during the 1940s and elsewhere at times.
Another fun post Bill. But why do I have to ask the question, “Bill Petro .com where did all of this begin?”, like I’m William Shatner in Star Trek? That’s how it sounded in my head when I read it. Just like Capt. Kirk would have asked.
I’m flattered that you think I sound like my favorite Starfleet Captain. But actually, I got it from Steve Martin, who I saw perform standup in Berkeley in the late ’70s. His line was:
“I know what you’re thinking… ‘Steve… Martin, how can you be so funny?'”
-Bill
This is a fantastic historical overview. It’s striking to see how the original justifications—like saving coal during wartime—have become largely obsolete.
Given that the modern debate is now almost entirely about public preference and its impact on health and commerce, what do you see as the single biggest obstacle preventing the U.S. from finally picking a permanent time (Standard or Daylight) and sticking with it? Is it the regional disagreement between agricultural, urban, and northern/southern states, or is it simply a lack of political will in Congress to make a controversial but decisive change?
It is simply an issue of inertia and Congressional will. Bills have been presented over the last several years that did not go all the way through.
I suspect it is a lack of political will. Many citizens are frustrated by the inconvenience of switching g twice a year. We now have more DST than standard time. Which way do we go.
Congress has had bills before them, but hasn’t acted.