Ever
wonder whose bright idea it is for various parts of the world to change
times every Spring and every Fall? Why are our poor bodies tortured with
adjusting to new sleeping habits, etc?
The following is taken from the California Energy Commission's web site, and I thought it would answer some questions for many:
"Benjamin Franklin (always ahead of his time) is often credited with introducing the idea of Daylight Saving Time back in 1784, but it wasn't until the 20th century when we first began changing the clocks. Daylight Saving Time has been around for most of this century. In 1918, in order to conserve resources for the war effort, Congress placed the country on Daylight Saving Time for the remainder of WW I. It was observed for seven months in 1918 and 1919.
The law, however, proved so unpopular (mostly because people rose earlier and went to bed earlier than we do today) that the law was later repealed.
When the country went to war again, Congress reinstated Daylight Saving Time on February 2, 1942. Time in the U.S. was advanced one hour to save energy. It remained advanced one hour forward year-round until September 30, 1945. From 1945 to 1966, there was no federal law about Daylight Saving Time. So, states and localities were free to observe Daylight Saving Time or not.
This, however, caused confusion -- especially for the broadcasting industry, and for trains and buses. Because of the different local customs and laws, radio and TV stations and the transportation companies had to publish new schedules every time a state or town began or ended Daylight Saving Time.
By 1966, some 100 million Americans were observing Daylight Saving Time through their own local laws and customs. Congress decided to step in, end the confusion and establish one pattern across the country. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 created Daylight Saving Time to begin on the last Sunday of April and to end on the last Sunday of October. Any area that wanted to be exempt from Daylight Saving Time could do so by passing a local ordinance. The law was amended in 1986 to begin Daylight Saving Time on the first Sunday in April."
There's lots of good information on this at the web site: http://www.energy.ca.gov/daylightsaving.html
in case you're interested. Also, if any of your kids need a report for
school, there's also facts on lives saved, amount of energy saved, and
all sorts of stuff that would make an interesting subject for them.
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