Twice a year, Americans are tasked with shifting their clocks an hour forward or backward. As we approach Spring Forward, some may start to dread losing an hour of sleep while others may be rejoicing for longer days. Regardless of your opinion of the changing of the clocks, one cannot help but wonder why we do this every year without fail.
Daylight Savings Time (DST), then known as “War Time”, had early, inconsistent usage during World War I as a means to reduce the amount of lighting needed in the evenings.
DST became Federally standardized in the late sixties as a result of the Uniform Time Act. This arose from transportation inconsistencies in local times resulted in difficulties coordinating train schedules, travelers missing connections, and even collisions. DST, though originally conceived to conserve fuel and better coordinate trains, now marks the end of Winter and the beginning on Spring. So remember to set your clock forward by one hour on March 10th!
