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Who we have to blame for Daylight Saving Time |
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Written by Lev Prasov
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Apr 03, 2006 at 01:01 AM |
Yesterday was the day when we shifted our clocks forward an hour. Now, we can take a look back at some of the history of this event.
The first Sunday in April marks the start of Daylight Saving Time (DST). This is the day when we set our clocks one hour forward, losing that precious extra hour of sleep. Why did this tradition start? We have William Willett and his pamphlet, "The Waste of Daylight," to blame for this idea. He proposed that "some of the hours of wasted sunlight could be withdrawn from the beginning and added to the end of the day."
In the United States, Daylight Saving Time was initially instated as a war measure, to save electricity by using more sunlight during the waking hours. After the wars ended, the issue of DST was decided by each individual state. It was not until 1966 that the US government passed a law to standardize the practice of DST.
This year DST started on April 2 and will last until the last Sunday in October. However, starting next year, DST will be extended to try to increase the energy saving effects. It will run from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
So, as you get up tomorrow morning, think of William Willett and his idea. While it sounds good in theory, there was one thing that he failed to realize. For many people, an extra hour of sleep is far more important than getting that extra hour of daylight in the park.
For more information about Daylight Saving Time:
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Dear Reyne 