What is Daylight Saving Time?

We’ve all heard of Daylight Saving Time (DST), and we all know that its time to spring forward this weekend. Its that time of year when we can all enjoy an extra hour of daylight each day. DST is a common practice that most of us don’t put too much thought into, but its actually got a long, rich history.

Approximately 232 years ago, Benjamin Franklin suggested that towns should ring their church bells at sunrise so the citizens of the town could take full advantage of the sunlight. Rumor has it that he was only kidding, but two centuries later, we still participate in the practice. Twice a year, we change our clocks (and our sleeping habits!) to squeeze more daylight into the hours that we’re awake.

Although Benjamin Franklin is recognized in history as being part of the DST movement, British citizen William Willett is known as the godfather of DST. Willett used to go for horsebacks rides early in the morning and noticed no one else was awake enjoying the sunlight. He published a pamphlet called “The Waste of Daylight” and spent many years lobbying Parliament to adopt official DST laws.

Germany picked up on Willett’s ideas before England did and adopted DST laws in 1916 in order to conserve energy and resources during World War I. Soon after, many other nations in Europe adopted the DST laws, including England. Soon after DST laws swept Europe, the United States adopted similar laws during WWI and again during WWII. After WWII, Americans lobbied Congress to repeal the DST laws. However, President Wilson vetoed two separate bills to repeal DST laws. In 2007, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 went into effect. This Act extended DST in the United States by 3-4 weeks in the spring and by 1 week in the fall. Since then, studies have been taking place in the U.S. to see if increased use in air conditioning may be negating any energy saving benefits.

Don’t forget to set your clocks forward one hour before you go to bed this Saturday!