Daylight saving time

Daylight saving time (also called DST, or summer time) is the portion of the year in which a region's local time is advanced by (usually) one hour from its official standard time. It is most common in temperate regions.

Origin

It is sometimes asserted that DST was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in a letter to the editors of the Journal of Paris http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/franklin3.html. However, the article was humorous; Franklin was not proposing DST, but rather that people should get up and go to bed earlier.

Related Topics:
Benjamin Franklin - Journal of Paris

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It was first seriously proposed by William Willett in the "Waste of Daylight" http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/willett.html, published in 1907, but he was unable to get the British government to adopt it, despite considerable lobbying.

Related Topics:
William Willett - 1907 - British government - Lobbying

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The idea of daylight saving time was first put into practice by the German government during the First World War between April 30 and October 1, 1916. Shortly afterward, the United Kingdom followed suit, first adopting DST between May 21 and October 1, 1916. Then on March 19, 1918, the U.S. Congress established several time zones (which were already in use by railroads and most cities since 1883) and made daylight saving time official (which went into effect on March 31) for the remainder of World War I. It was observed for seven months in 1918 and 1919. The law, however, proved so unpopular (mostly because people rose and went to bed earlier than in modern times) that the law was later repealed.

Related Topics:
German - First World War - April 30 - October 1 - 1916 - United Kingdom - May 21 - March 19 - 1918 - U.S. Congress - Time zone - Railroad - 1883 - March 31 - 1919 - Repeal

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