It's that time of the year again: the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST). This Sunday, roughly one-quarter of the world's population will shift their clocks back and wind up with one extra hour of time. For most of us, this practice has now become second nature, but it didn't used to be that way.
The idea of losing an hour in the fall and gaining an hour in the summer originated with, some might say, selfish motives. Daylight Saving Time was originally proposed by entomologist George Vernon Hudson in 1895, partly so that he could have more hours of daylight to collect insects in the afternoon. Ten years later, British outdoor enthusiast, William Willett independently conceived the idea because he was annoyed at having his afternoon rounds of golf cut short by dusk. Willett would tirelessly lobby Parliament to pass a daylight savings law until his death in 1915. (He must have really loved golf.)
Despite these efforts, daylight savings would not see widespread adoption until World War I, when Germany ratified the idea in order to preserve coal for the war effort. Not wanting to cede this advantage, the European Allies quickly followed suit and adopted the policy. The United States would later pass a daylight savings law in 1918.
In the many years following the adoption of Daylight Saving Time, the act has been scrutinized and studied to no end. Does it save energy? Does it boost the economy? Does it improve public safety? Does it make us healthier? The debate has occasionally gotten ugly.
It's this dispute that has prompted some states and counties to opt out of daylight savings. Arizona hasn't observed daylight savings in over forty years. Talk about confusing!
Most of us would probably agree that daylight Savings presents a mixed bag of costs and benefits. In the winter months, it's nice to wake up with the sun, but it's rather depressing that it get's dark so early. In the summer, it's great to have so much afternoon sunlight, but it's unfortunate that drive-in movies can't start until 10:00pm. Oh well, that's the price we pay for living a few latitudes away from the Equator.
The idea of losing an hour in the fall and gaining an hour in the summer originated with, some might say, selfish motives. Daylight Saving Time was originally proposed by entomologist George Vernon Hudson in 1895, partly so that he could have more hours of daylight to collect insects in the afternoon. Ten years later, British outdoor enthusiast, William Willett independently conceived the idea because he was annoyed at having his afternoon rounds of golf cut short by dusk. Willett would tirelessly lobby Parliament to pass a daylight savings law until his death in 1915. (He must have really loved golf.)
Despite these efforts, daylight savings would not see widespread adoption until World War I, when Germany ratified the idea in order to preserve coal for the war effort. Not wanting to cede this advantage, the European Allies quickly followed suit and adopted the policy. The United States would later pass a daylight savings law in 1918.
In the many years following the adoption of Daylight Saving Time, the act has been scrutinized and studied to no end. Does it save energy? Does it boost the economy? Does it improve public safety? Does it make us healthier? The debate has occasionally gotten ugly.
It's this dispute that has prompted some states and counties to opt out of daylight savings. Arizona hasn't observed daylight savings in over forty years. Talk about confusing!
Most of us would probably agree that daylight Savings presents a mixed bag of costs and benefits. In the winter months, it's nice to wake up with the sun, but it's rather depressing that it get's dark so early. In the summer, it's great to have so much afternoon sunlight, but it's unfortunate that drive-in movies can't start until 10:00pm. Oh well, that's the price we pay for living a few latitudes away from the Equator.
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