Remember to set your clock ahead this weekend for Daylight Savings Time. This weekend we Spring Forward. That means at 1am ET, we officially move the clock ahead one hour to 2am ET. Your computer, smartphone, and smartwatch will do this automatically. The other clocks in your home and sometimes car will have to be updated forward one hour on Sunday. Many folks change their clocks Saturday night before they go to sleep.
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of setting the clocks ahead by one hour during the summer months, and setting them back by one hour during the winter months, in order to make better use of natural daylight.
The idea of Daylight Saving Time was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, as a way to save candles and make better use of natural light. However, it wasn’t until World War I that DST was first implemented as a way to save energy and reduce the use of coal during wartime.
The idea was quickly adopted by several countries, including the United States, where DST was first established in 1918. However, DST was not universally adopted and it was repealed in many countries after the war. It wasn’t until the 1960s that DST was reintroduced in many countries, including the United States, as a way to save energy during the energy crisis.
In the United States, the official dates for Daylight Saving Time are set by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Daylight Saving Time begins on the second Sunday of March, when clocks are set ahead by one hour, and ends on the first Sunday of November, when clocks are set back by one hour.
The reason for setting the clocks ahead by one hour in the spring, which is often referred to as “springing forward,” is to provide more daylight in the evenings, when people are typically more active and tend to use more energy. This allows for a reduction in energy consumption during peak hours and can help to save energy overall.
Overall, the history of Daylight Saving Time is one of an evolving practice that has been influenced by various factors, including wartime, energy conservation, and the desire to make better use of natural daylight. Today, many countries around the world observe Daylight Saving Time, with varying start and end dates and differing opinions on its effectiveness.
