(3-9-24) ‘Spring Forward‘….a reminder that the time change will occur at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, as we move one hour ahead to Daylight Saving Time.

History of daylight savings time

By Adamm Ingals

Daylight Saving Time (DST) has a bit of a winding history, with ideas popping up throughout the centuries and official implementation coming about more recently. Here’s a quick rundown:

  • Early Ideas: The concept of daylight saving can be traced back to Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century, who observed the benefit of using daylight hours for illumination [What is the history of daylight saving time?].
  • First Implementations: Port Arthur, Canada is credited with being the first place to enact DST in 1908, though it wasn’t widespread [History of Daylight Saving Time (DST)]. Germany and Austria followed suit in 1916 during World War I to conserve energy.
  • US Adoption: The United States first used DST during World War I, then again during World War II, both times as a wartime measure. After the war, individual states could choose to observe DST if they wanted [Daylight saving time – Wikipedia].
  • Standardization: The Uniform Time Act of 1966 established a nationwide standard for DST in the US, specifying the start and end dates [History of Time Zones and Daylight Saving Time (DST) – Bureau of Transportation Statistics].

The debate over DST continues today, with some arguing for its economic and social benefits, while others criticize the health impacts and inconvenience of the time change.