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Daylight Saving Time: An Interesting History

Daylight saving time is coming up on November 2nd. Most states, excluding Hawaii and Arizona, will turn back the clocks to 11:00 when 11:59 rolls around. Remember the old “spring foward, fall ba...
Daylight Saving Time: An Interesting History
Written by Lacy Langley
  • Daylight saving time is coming up on November 2nd.

    Most states, excluding Hawaii and Arizona, will turn back the clocks to 11:00 when 11:59 rolls around.

    Remember the old “spring foward, fall back” rule?

    The time change is not enthusiastically embraced by everyone, like parents who complain that their children will be headed to school in the dark. However, the purpose was originally intended to minimize the use of artificial lighting in our homes.

    Benjamin Franklin first proposed daylight saving time in 1784, but it wasn’t instituted until 1918 by Congress. Arizona opted out in 1968 and Hawaii, becoming a state after it was implemented, just never participated.

    However, modern use of daylight saving time wasn’t widespread in other countries until it was implemented in the aftermath of World War II in an effort to conserve fuel for recovery and rebuilding.

    Daylight saving time was then instituted for good in France, after a shaky trial run, in 1975. The implementation of daylight saving time was due to the oil shock of 1974 with the aim to reduce lighting needs.

    By the early 1980s, many countries of the European Union were using daylight saving time, however, the differences in use of the practice impeded trading schedules and business communication. Some countries used a half-hour adjustment, some a full hour, and some even had a two-hour adjustment.

    It wasn’t until 1996 that the European Union issued a standard for following daylight saving time.

    However, in America, there are now several states that are attempting to drop their participation in daylight saving time.

    Two Utah lawmakers, State Rep. Lee Perry (R) and Sen. Aaron Osmond (R), are looking into it after polling showed it to be a popular idea among voters. In fact, about 62 percent of those who responded were in favor of doing away with daylight saving time.

    Utah isn’t the only state considering doing away with the tradition.

    Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are also looking into it, Perry said.

    What do you think? Yeah, daylight saving time is sort of annoying and inconvenient, but is it worth dropping?

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