History of Daylight Saving Time – Ending

BillPetro ^ | October 28, 2013 | BILL PETRO

[NYer]

Daylight Saving Time, or DST, is a brilliant 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 there are some places that 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 begins each year at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November. 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, shall we say “March forward”? What about the Southern Hemisphere which has the opposite seasons?

• In the United States, in 2013, DST is from 2:00 a.m. (local time) on March 10th until 2:00 a.m. (local time) on Sunday, November 3rd.

Why so many changes? Is this campaign on a roll, is it gaining energy? Indeed, it is all about energy… and of course, money.

Back in August 8, 2005, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Prior to 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 will now be 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 will be in effect for most of the year.

It has spread to other countries as well, but cloaked under other names. In the European Union (EU) it goes by the name Summer Time Period and will happen from the last Sunday in March through the first Sunday in November (next year.) 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 “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 of the Russian time zones are an 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 better and are not fooled by the need for this “daylight saving” campaign.

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. Back before 1883, major cities used to set their clocks according to local astronomical conditions, but the advent of the railroads necessitated a way of standardizing schedules, hence the introduction of “time zones.” Canada’s Sir Sandford Flemming advocated this time zone and hourly variation, which was adopted at the International Prime Meridian Conference in Washington the following year.

But it did not yet see universal use. Various parts of the world experienced controversy concerning the impact on agriculture, outdoor activities, and business.

Many credit American Benjamin Franklin with convincing the modern idea in 1784 while 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 used it throughout World War I and Britain and many of its allies later did the same. America standardized on it during WWI to save on coal usage. It was standardized upon again, year-round during WWII and again for two years during the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, both as means of saving energy.

Where does money come in? While we continued the use of DST following WWI, it fell into disuse in America between WWI and WWII. New York City bankers and brokers made efforts to reinstate it, so they could capitalize on the extra hour of arbitrage that DST permitted with the London markets. The New York Board of Aldermen lobbied for it and saw it made law in 1920.

Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

-Benjamin Franklin

[Mamzelle]

Or just change it by a half-hour, and then leave it alone!! I’m so tired of it. For those with school-age children, the October change is fine, but try it in the spring. You’re having to make kids go to bed at sunset and get up in the dark. So stupid...

[BfloGuy]

I’d be happy to stay with DST year round.

For Pete's sake, why?

[GeronL]

It was less dark than normal when I walked my nephew to the bus stop.

BTW- Who decided that the youngest kids get to the bus stops at 6:45 while older kids get picked up at 8?

[Romulus]

Me too.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Yes, sir! And, we can add this bit of time to to brisket BBQ and a good bottle of wine.

(or, more likely, driving back from the rigs in Mentone in day-light!)

[trisham]

For Pete's sake, why?

******************************

Because I like sunshine in the afternoon. I like spending some time outside with my husband when he returns home from work. Because as an individual, I have my own personal preferences.

[urtax$@work]

Worse time of the year for me coming up this Sunday.
Sunset around 5:30 . Would like to go on MY time
where sun sets around 6 30 to 7 pm daily all year.

Of course in the summer i dont like sunsets at 830 or 9pm either.

[trisham]

:)

[Walkingfeather]

Sleep is for pussies quit whining. I think we should double day light savings time. I could give a crap about kids in the north that have to walk to school in the mornings. Their parents made a stupid decision to live in the north. Screw em.

[MeshugeMikey]

Does Pennsylvania have the Ballot Initiave?

[BfloGuy]

Because I like sunshine in the afternoon. I like spending some time outside with my husband when he returns home from work. Because as an individual, I have my own personal preferences.

OK. You like sunshine in the afternoon. I like it in the morning. My suggestion would be to do without DST and live by nature's clock.

Just sayin'.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

Snicker!

[Wuli]

anyone who wants to take advantage of “daylight savings time” - whether it be a business, a school, some government offices or ANY organizations, they can announce:

“beginning on XX of ______ (start month) and lasting until XX of _______ (end month , our regular hours of operation will from x am/pm to y am/pm instead of z am/pm to w am/pm”

and anyone wanting to follow their example can do the same

it should be voluntary, not mandatory, for anyone

[762X51]

I wake up when the sun comes up. I go to bed when the sun goes down. How the clock is synchronized with the two doesn’t matter to me.

[trisham]

You asked, and I answered. Why, I don’t know.

[SoothingDave]

“What about the Southetn hemisphere?” You ask.

They do the same thing, but when it makes sense for their seasons. They still spring ahead, but they do it now.

If you can’t know that maybe you shouldn’t write articles about the subject

[InABunkerUnderSF]

One reason I moved to Arizona was that here, we don't have it.

One question, if "Standard Time" is now used only for 5 months, 7 days, Why isn't "Daylight Savings Time" called "Standard" and "Standard Time" called something else?

[trisham]

That’s a good question.

[djf]

Without DST, here near Seattle, sunrise would be a few minutes after 4 AM on the solstice.

[ImNotLying]

“blonde gal>

“I just love getting up at 2 AM to reset all the clocks. It disrupts my beauty sleep”

Is that the same blonde that got lost in the two-stalk corn maze?