In the spring, when the clocks move forward by one hour, Daylight Saving Time will be amongst here. This ritual of losing an hour sleep, has left many people wondering why the US does this.
Beginnings
Daylight Saving time was first presented by a London builder by the name of William Willett in “Waste of Daylight” (1907). He suggested that people should move their clocks forward 20 minutes on each April Sunday, then turn them back, in the same way, in September. This suggestion did not go far until World War I, when the Germans and their allies first used it. Eventually the United States followed.
Terminology
Technically, the correct name is Daylight Saving Time, without an “s” on the end of saving.
Prevented bombing
On the West Bank, which was still on Daylight Saving Time, in September 1999, a bombing was to have occurred. Occupants of the West Bank had smuggled bombs to Israel. Those in Israel did not remember that there was a time difference between the two places, as Israel had just switched to standard time. Because of this the planted bombs went off an hour early. The three terrorists were killed instead of their intended target–two buses full of people.
Halloween
Daylight Saving Time in the United States used to end right before Halloween. This meant that many children were out on the street in the dark, leading to four times more children being killed. To curtail this, in 2007 Daylight Saving Time was extended to the first Sunday in November, This had been a move that candy makers wanted for many years, so that more young trick-or-treaters would be allowed to venture out.
There is also a five percent reduction in car accidents with Daylight Saving Time.
Uniformity
Until it was decided that each community would begin and end Daylight Saving Time on the same day, each town decided when and if they would change. According to “Daylight Saving Time – History and Fun Facts,” Boston, New York and Philadelphia were not on the same time as Washington, D.C. for five weeks of the year. Plus train and bus schedules were difficult to keep up to date.
Non-observance
Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands do not observe the time change.
Indiana
For decades, Indiana has allowed the western corners of the state to observe Daylight Saving Time, while the rest of the state stayed in Standard Time year-round. In addition, the five southeastern counties, which were close to Louisville and Cincinnati, followed Daylight Saving Time to help those that worked in those cities. Politicians over the years tried to change this law, but citizens would not hear of it. Finally, in April 2005, a law was passed putting the entire state on Daylight Saving Time. This began in April 2006.
Whether a person is for this time change or against it, Daylight Saving Time has made life interesting over the past years.
