How Daylight Savings Started

Last Sunday, March 10th, at 2am, we all moved our clocks forward one hour, resulting in more daylight. On October 27, at 2am, the clocks will be moved back, resulting in less daylight. Iowa changes their clocks twice a year, however not all states in the US do.

Currently, the United States has 48 states that participate in Daylight Savings. The 2 states that don’t participate are Arizona and Hawaii. Hawaii doesn’t do Daylight Savings because they are closer to the equator, so their sunrises and sunsets don’t change much. So they wouldn’t get as much use out of Daylight savings. Also, Hawaii is so far away, that they don’t have to deal with neighboring states and their time changes. Arizona doesn’t participate because they are so hot. They get up around 110 degrees in the summer, so the last thing they want is more daylight.

The concept of daylight savings time was created by 3 people. The first one was Benjamin Franklin during the 18th century. His logic was that waking up closer to the sunrise made it so his house could be light for a longer period of time. Having more daylight hours made it so he didn’t have to use as many smoky, messy, and expensive candles. The second person was George Bernard Hudson, in the late 19th century, in New Zealand. He was an entomologist (study of zoology) and an astronomer (study of space). He suggested the idea of moving the clocks to the Wellington Philosophical Society. The third person was William Willet, in the early 20th century, in the United Kingdom. He was a builder for the Royal Astronomical Society. He introduced a bill to the British Parliament to officially accept the time change. All 3 of these men invented something that some like and some don’t, however, none of them expected daylight savings to be used for war.

During world war 1, the Germans decided to change their clocks to conserve energy. Right away, the British did the same thing, even after rejecting it for so many years. Changing the clocks allowed for more sunshine, and less electricity. Electricity was taking so much fuel, so changing the clocks allowed for less fuel, and more money to spend on food and supplies. Even though this worked out great for war, people back in the US were not sure about this new concept.

The liking of daylight savings was very spotty throughout the US. Neighboring states couldn’t agree, along with neighboring towns. For example, someone could have rode a bus 35 miles from Ohio to West Virginia, and they would cross between 7 different time zones. Finally, in 1966, the government passed the Uniform Time Act and standardized the time throughout the country. The law said that a state doesn’t have to have daylight savings if they don’t want to, but if they do, it needs to be statewide.

I think we should keep daylight savings, because I like to have more of the day and less of the night. Even though I get less sleep, I love waking up to a bright sun, and going to bed when the sun is setting.

Sources:

https://www.foxweather.com/lifestyle/the-history-of-daylight-saving-time

https://usafacts.org/articles/why-does-daylight-saving-time-exist/#:~:text=In%201918%2C%20the%20agency%20started,reduce%20the%20need%20for%20lighting.

Questions:

Do you like daylight savings time?

Do you think the whole country should have to change their clocks?

Do you think there is a better/easier way to save energy and daylight, other than changing the clocks?

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Replies

    • I agree, in the Spring I like to wake up to the sunrise, and still go to bed when the sun is setting. I also think that having more daylight is better because we can get more things done.

  • I do not like daylight savings time because it always messes me up during the day and night. I like it better during the winter because then it seems like I get to sleep longer, but I do like it when it stays lighter longer. I can't think of a different way to save energy and daylight. 

  • I kinda like it, it is interesting to change the time out of nowhere and live life that way. However, I do not enjoy it during winter, it gets dark very easily, it is kinda depressing. But during spring, it's amazing. Not every country should change their clock at the same time, it changes for different places. I do not have knowladge in order to come up with another idea to save energy or daylight, so I think changing the clock is the best.

  • I don't mind daylight savings time especially when it stays lighter longer. But in the spring we have the lose an hour and I need that extra hour of sleep. The whole country doesn't change their clocks, there are a couple of states who don't follow daylight savings.

    • I am the same way, I don't mind daylight savings, until we lose an hour when I really need that extra hour of sleep.

  • I do not like daylight savings time because I think it messes with our schedule too much and is just too confusing. I think that there isn't really that many options other than daylight savings though, making it hard to not change the clock. I think there is some way to change it, but I'm not sure what.

  • Sometimes I like daylight savings when it goes like 2 hours behind but I also like it when it goes ahead because thats when it is lighter out longer and thats when you know when summer is coming. yes so that because not every country is at the same time and also when the sun is up for us its day and on the other side of the world its dark and night time. There isnt really another way to change clocks and have daylight savings a different way. 

    • I agree with you, daylight savings has its pros and cons, less sleep and more daylight.

  • I don't really care about daylight savings time. It doesn't affect me besides making me feel like it's earlier or later in the day than it should be. I don't think the whole country needs to change their clocks because they have valid reasons for not having daylight savings.

  • With the daylight savings times I do like it when it startes to be darkness right it in morning and I do like it when it become kind of pich black like 6 am when people do have to go to school. I think only countrys that have the same time throught then night and they only get to change the clocks like we do.

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