The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin (portrait at right) during his sojourn as an American delegate in Paris in 1784, in an essay, "An Economical Project." Posted on 10/27/2001 5:00:46 PM PDT by WIMom
Idea of Daylight Saving Time
The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin (portrait at right) during his sojourn as an American delegate in Paris in 1784, in an essay, "An Economical Project."
> Read more about Franklin's essay.
Some of Franklin's friends, inventors of the oil lamp, were so taken by the scheme that they continued corresponding with Franklin even after he returned to America.
The idea was first advocated seriously by a London builder, William Willett (1865-1915), in the pamphlet "Waste of Daylight" (1907) that proposed advancing clocks 20 minutes on each of four Sundays in April, and retarding them by the same amount on four Sundays in September. As he was taking an early morning a ride through Petts Wood, near Croydon, Willett was struck by the fact that the blinds of nearby houses were closed, even though the sun was fully risen. When questioned as to why he didn't simply get up an hour earlier, Willett replied with typical British humor, "What?" In his pamphlet "The Waste of Daylight" he wrote: "Everyone appreciates the long, light evenings. Everyone laments their shortage as Autumn approaches; and everyone has given utterance to regret that the clear, bright light of an early morning during Spring and Summer months is so seldom seen or used".
Standard time in the US
Standard time in time zones was instituted in the U.S. and Canada by the railroads on 18 November 1883. Before then, time of day was a local matter, and most cities and towns used some form of local solar time, maintained by some well-known clock (for example, on a church steeple or in a jeweler's window). The new standard time system was not immediately embraced by all, however.
Detroit kept local time until 1900 when the City Council decreed that clocks should be put back twenty-eight minutes to Central Standard Time. Half the city obeyed, half refused. After considerable debate, the decision was rescinded and the city reverted to Sun time. A derisive offer to erect a sundial in front of the city hall was referred to the Committee on Sewers. Then, in 1905, Central time was adopted by city vote.
Use of standard time gradually increased because of its obvious practical advantages for communication and travel. Standard time in time zones was not established in U.S. law until the Standard Time Act of 1918 enacted on March 19.
When we change our clocks
Daylight Saving Time, for the U.S. and its territories, is NOT observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Eastern Time Zone portion of the State of Indiana, and the state of Arizona (not the Navajo Indian Reservation, which does observe). Navajo Nation participates in the Daylight Saving Time policy, due to its large size and location in three states. See more information about elsewhere in the world.
During DST, clocks are turned forward an hour, effectively moving an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening.
Note that it is Daylight Saving (singular) Time, NOT Daylight SavingS Time. We are saving daylight, so it is singular and not plural.
In the U.S., clocks change at 2 am. In Spring, clocks spring forward to 3 am; in Fall, clocks fall back to 1 am. In the EU, clocks change at 1 am. In Spring, clocks spring forward to 2 am; in Fall, clocks fall back to midnight.
Nationwide, restaurants and bars have varied closing policies. In many states, liquor cannot be served after 2 a.m. But at 2 a.m. in the Fall, the time switches back one hour. So, can they serve for that additional hour in October? The official answer is that the bars do not close at 2 a.m. but actually at 1:59 a.m. So, they are already closed when the time changes from Daylight Saving Time into Standard Time. In practice however, many establishments stay open an extra hour in the Fall.
In the U.S., the changeover time was arbitrarily chosen to be 2 am, when most people are at home. This is practical and minimizes disruption. It is late enough to minimally affect bars and restaurants, and prevent the day from switching to yesterday (which would be confusing). It is early enough that the entire continental U.S. has switched by daybreak, and the changeover occurs before most early shift workers and early church-goers (particularly on Easter).
Many fire departments encourage people to change the battery in the smoke detector when they change their clocks, because it can be so easy to forget otherwise. "A working smoke detector more than doubles a person's chances of surviving a home fire," says William McNabb of the Troy Fire Department in Michigan. More than 90 percent of homes in the United States have smoke detectors, but one-third are estimated to have worn-out or missing batteries.
What will you do with your extra hour?
- SGM C.W. Littlejohn, my mentor and truly, the finest soldier I ever met. A man who knew how to get the most out of every waking moment. Rangers lead the way!!
This title is really misleading. It should read "Extra Hour Of Bombing Tonight!" ;)
p.s. Even when a picture shows up on preview I always hit "refresh" once to make sure it doesn't go bye-bye.
One question though: what is meant by this?
When questioned as to why he didn't simply get up an hour earlier, Willett replied with typical British humor, "What?"
Now I'm as big a fan of Brit humor as anyone this side of the pond (addicted to Monty Python, 'Allo 'allo, and Whose Line is it Anyway). But this one escapes me.
I'll be either freepin' or sleepin'. :^)
I'll be at work - and I get to work that extra hour - and re-set the clocks on the mainframe computers...
I know for sure that Indiana doesn't -- I live there. And quite honestly, I'm glad we don't.
Although, it does get irritating missing things going on over the internet that are set to EST, since half the year we correspond to Central Time, and the other half the year, to Eastern Time.
Better than having to set my clock an hour earlier or later every two seasons, I suppose.
TG
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.