5 Things you Should Know Before Making the Biannual Change
- Benjamin Franklin was actually joking when he suggested it
More than a century ago when this concept was adopted by any major country, he proposed the idea in a satirical essay. He stated that the difficulty would be in the first few days, after which the reformation will be as natural and easy and the present irregularity.
“Oblige a man to rise at four in the morning, and it is more than probable he will go willingly to bed at eight in the evening; and, having had eight hours sleep, he will rise more willingly at four in the morning following.”
- Official credit for the idea goes to a bug collector
While working at a post office by day, an entomologist who did most of his bug hunting at night soon became frustrated by how early the sun set during the summer months. He reasoned that springing the clocks forward would allow more daylight for bug collecting—along with other evening activities. The clocks could be switched back in the winter when people (and bugs) were less likely to be found outdoors.
- WWI pushed it into law
In 1916, Germany became the first country to officially adopt Daylight Saving Time. It was born out of an effort to conserve coal during World War I, and Britain, along with many other European nations, was quick to follow the Germans’ lead. It wasn’t until 1918 that the time change spread to the U.S. A year after entering the war, America began practicing DST as an electricity-saving measure. Most countries, including the U.S., ceased official observation of the switch following wartime.
- It is not observed nationwide
Daylight Saving Time has been widely accepted across the country, but it’s still not mandated by federal law. Canadian residents resistant to springing forward and falling back each year might consider moving to Saskatchewan. The province isn’t exactly desperate for extra sunlight, so every spring they skip their time jump.
- It starts at 2am for a reason
Daylight Saving Time doesn’t begin at the stroke of midnight like you might expect it to. Rather, the time change is delayed until most people (hopefully) aren’t awake to notice it. By waiting until two in the morning to give or take an hour, the idea is that most workers with early shifts will still be in bed and most restaurants will already be closed.