This Day in History: Railroad companies create the first time zones

TaraRoss.com ^ | 11/18/18

[iowamark]

On this day in 1883, railroad companies create the first time zones. Yes, you heard that right. Private individuals saw a problem and solved it without involving the federal government.

What a wonderfully American “do it yourself” mindset! Such determination and perseverance is what made our country great.

Before time zones, Americans generally relied upon the local time in their communities. That local time was based upon the movement of the sun in the sky, so the time could vary from city to city. Cities would usually designate one clock in the area—perhaps at a certain church or business—as the official clock for the community. This system caused a lot of headaches for the railroads. Imagine if you are a train trying to keep a schedule as you cross the continent, but the time varies at each stop. It was difficult, to say the least.

The railroads were not the first to consider a system of standardized time. Astronomers had long advocated for such a system, and the time zones eventually set up by the railroads relied heavily on their work. Once the railroads acted, local governments across the country quickly supported the idea and adopted it with their own ordinances. Yep, local governments—not the federal government—assisted this effort by private companies. Because it really is not necessary to involve the federal government most of the time, as our ancestors knew.

The federal government did not get involved until 1918. When the feds finally did get involved . . . . Well, yes, you guessed it. They created something that many of us hate today: Daylight Savings Time.

The story might leave you wondering: What would have happened if the federal government had never gotten involved and simply left the matter to the states and to individuals, where it began?

[iowamark]

Problem solved by private industry.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

DST ruined the drive-in theater industry.

[Baynative]

DST is no longer useful. Look what it has done to the Florida elections!

[Vaquero]

How to tell time in Italy

https://youtu.be/21mLECfpv3M

[Starboard]

We need to return the concept of self-governance back to the states. The federal propensity for “one size fits all” solutions dictated by high density population areas is not working well at all.

Unfortunately both of our political parties love, support and fund big government.

[smokingfrog]

When you’re trying to figure out what time to leave for the train station, that sundial is not going to work very well.

[Behind the Blue Wall]

But now there’s no reason for time zones. We should all just set our clocks permanently to GMT and be done with it.

[CodeToad]

DST is a tax on the economy.

Time to kill it.

[bigbob]

Time zones originally were proposed 40 years prior, ignored, and were in place in Britain long before being adopted here. Not surprisingly, it took a Scot, Sandford Fleming, who’d moved to Canada to figure it all out, and put an end to the poractice of American railroads each maintaining its own time.

[Redleg Duke]

The first step is to abolish the 17th Amendment

[C210N]

Before time zones... local time was based upon the movement of the sun in the sky...

And, before that (like 2000 years ago), an "hour" was 1/12 of the night, and 1/12 of the day. That meant that the time within an hour differed between night and day, depending on the season.

[bankwalker]

And then the 19th

[outofsalt]

;)

[minnesota_bound]

Here is the reason they did it : )

Trains collide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e-jRpFik3c

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks iowamark.

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[21twelve]

“We should all just set our clocks permanently to GMT and be done with it.”

GMT was created after the investigation of why Emelia Earhart went missing. What a cluster-f. She was to communicate by radio every 15 minutes, and morse-code the other 15 minutes IIRC.

Between the island’s radio being out, and ships in the bay of the island at a different time zone (it was custom for the ship to stay on the time zone of their home port!) - even the redundant communication systems failed due to the different time zones. IIRC, some of the time zones were at 15 minute intervals.

[Monkey Face]

The railroads had a good idea, but as usual the gubmint got in there and messed it all up because it seemed like a good idear at the time.

‘Face

[SunkenCiv]

Time zones are just another manifestation of white imperialists' Temporaphobic oppression. /s

[colorado tanker]

Greenwich Mean Time has been around since the 17th Century and the building of the Greenwich Observatory. British ships would set their chronometers to it on departing England so they could determine their longitude.

I don't know the details but I'm guessing Earhart's problem was not using GMT for all her transmissions. Perhaps that led to the pilots' custom of keeping schedules for long flights on GMT, or ZULU time?