Okla-homey
10/29/2006, 10:47 AM
Daylight Savings Time ends 'til spring
Today marks the annual day we set our clocks back one hour in most of the United States. The uber-genius and Philadelphia politician, Mr Benjamin Franklin, while serving as U.S. minister to France, wrote an article recommending earlier opening and closing of shops to save on the cost of candles and stuff.
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/33/dddddddddben26sm8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
DST was first mentioned by Benjamin Franklin in a letter to the editors of the Journal of Paris. However, as the article was humorous it is not clear whether Franklin was seriously proposing that the French adopt it, or simply that that people should get up and go to bed earlier.
Almost a hundred years ago in 1907, in the U.K., William Willett began to urge the adoption of daylight saving time. He lobbyed parliament hard, but they blew him off. His book on the subject was entitled "Waste of Daylight."
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4883/ddddwillettxn0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
British builder William Willett was up early for his pre-breakfast horseback ride in 1905. He lamented how few people were enjoying the "best part of a summer day", and he came up with the idea of moving the clocks forward in summer to take advantage of the bright beautiful mornings and to give more light in the evening. He fought for years to introduce DST in Britain, but died never seeing his idea come to fruition.
During World War I, Willett's work was reconsidered and the combatant countries ran with it. The plan was adopted in England, Germany, France, and many other countries in order to save energy and help facilitate war material production. See, factories had big windows and skylights in those days. If workers could work under longer periods of natural light, that saved juice and $$$.
In the United States, Robert Garland of Pittsburgh was a leading influence in securing the introduction and passage of a law, signed by President Wilson on Mar. 31, 1918, establishing daylight saving time in the United States.
http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/6593/ddddddddddcyhun3xn3.gif (http://imageshack.us)
Bob Garland didn't live long enough to see the introduction of his dreamed-for DST either.
http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/7224/dddddst4to6.gif (http://imageshack.us)
In 1919, with World War I over, the law was repealed. During World War II, however, national daylight savings time was reestablished by law on a year-round basis for the same reasons it was established during the First World War. Additionally, national year-round daylight saving time was adopted as a fuel-saving measure during the OPEC-engineered "national energy crisis" of the winter of 1973–74.
In late 1974, standard time was reinstituted for the winter period. In 1987, federal legislation fixed the period of daylight saving time in the United States as the first Sunday (previously the last Sunday) in April to the last Sunday in October.
Please note, DST was expanded in 2005 by federal legislation (effective next year in 2007) to extend from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. Therefore, next year, we won't do the fall-back thing until the following Sunday after this one.
http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/4707/ddd800pxdaylightsavingsgk6.png (http://imageshack.us)
BLUE: Areas that observe daylight saving time
ORANGE: Areas that once observed daylight saving time
RED: Areas that have never observed daylight saving time
As an aside, Arizona and Hawaii do not use daylight saving time. They're strange that way.
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/903/insane7zosw1.jpg
Today marks the annual day we set our clocks back one hour in most of the United States. The uber-genius and Philadelphia politician, Mr Benjamin Franklin, while serving as U.S. minister to France, wrote an article recommending earlier opening and closing of shops to save on the cost of candles and stuff.
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/33/dddddddddben26sm8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
DST was first mentioned by Benjamin Franklin in a letter to the editors of the Journal of Paris. However, as the article was humorous it is not clear whether Franklin was seriously proposing that the French adopt it, or simply that that people should get up and go to bed earlier.
Almost a hundred years ago in 1907, in the U.K., William Willett began to urge the adoption of daylight saving time. He lobbyed parliament hard, but they blew him off. His book on the subject was entitled "Waste of Daylight."
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4883/ddddwillettxn0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
British builder William Willett was up early for his pre-breakfast horseback ride in 1905. He lamented how few people were enjoying the "best part of a summer day", and he came up with the idea of moving the clocks forward in summer to take advantage of the bright beautiful mornings and to give more light in the evening. He fought for years to introduce DST in Britain, but died never seeing his idea come to fruition.
During World War I, Willett's work was reconsidered and the combatant countries ran with it. The plan was adopted in England, Germany, France, and many other countries in order to save energy and help facilitate war material production. See, factories had big windows and skylights in those days. If workers could work under longer periods of natural light, that saved juice and $$$.
In the United States, Robert Garland of Pittsburgh was a leading influence in securing the introduction and passage of a law, signed by President Wilson on Mar. 31, 1918, establishing daylight saving time in the United States.
http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/6593/ddddddddddcyhun3xn3.gif (http://imageshack.us)
Bob Garland didn't live long enough to see the introduction of his dreamed-for DST either.
http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/7224/dddddst4to6.gif (http://imageshack.us)
In 1919, with World War I over, the law was repealed. During World War II, however, national daylight savings time was reestablished by law on a year-round basis for the same reasons it was established during the First World War. Additionally, national year-round daylight saving time was adopted as a fuel-saving measure during the OPEC-engineered "national energy crisis" of the winter of 1973–74.
In late 1974, standard time was reinstituted for the winter period. In 1987, federal legislation fixed the period of daylight saving time in the United States as the first Sunday (previously the last Sunday) in April to the last Sunday in October.
Please note, DST was expanded in 2005 by federal legislation (effective next year in 2007) to extend from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. Therefore, next year, we won't do the fall-back thing until the following Sunday after this one.
http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/4707/ddd800pxdaylightsavingsgk6.png (http://imageshack.us)
BLUE: Areas that observe daylight saving time
ORANGE: Areas that once observed daylight saving time
RED: Areas that have never observed daylight saving time
As an aside, Arizona and Hawaii do not use daylight saving time. They're strange that way.
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/903/insane7zosw1.jpg