You wake up and see your kitchen clock reading 8 a. You're convinced you're late to work. More Videos Why fall back? But wait, whew. You're not late. It's Daylight Saving Time. Twice a year, clocks around the world move forward or backward by an hour. But what's the point? Read More. There's an age-old myth that Daylight Saving was a practice adopted to give farmers extra time in the sun to work out in the field. But, that's not really why dozens of countries follow it.
For eight months out of the year, the US and dozens of other countries follow DST, and for the remaining four months, revert back to standard time in order to take full advantage of the sunlight.
See where the movement to abolish daylight saving time is gaining steam. In , George Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand, came up with the modern concept of daylight saving time. Seven years later, British builder William Willett the great-great grandfather of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin independently hit on the idea while out horseback riding.
Willett kept arguing for the concept up until his death in In , two years into World War I, the German government started brainstorming ways to save energy. Soon, England and almost every other country that fought in World War I followed suit.
So did the United States: On March 9, , Congress enacted its first daylight saving law—and it was a two-fer: In addition to saving daylight, the Standard Time Act defined time zones in the U.
In those days, coal power was king, so people really did save energy and thus contribute to the war effort by changing their clocks. Today, the idea of springing forward and falling back is a bit more controversial, in part because it no longer really saves energy. But when you hear from a time-change skeptic, consider the source and where they live.
The further you travel from the Equator, the more drastic the seasons will be. Just look at a map of the countries that use daylight saving time today to see which regions really find the shift worthwhile. Daylight saving time indifference causes one U. Arizona, where scorching temperatures often make night the only bearable time to be outside, also said no to moving its clocks around, because its residents preferred to savor the cool nighttime hours.
However, the daylight saving situation within Arizona is even more confusing. While most of the state ignores daylight saving time, the Navajo Nation, which covers part of northeastern Arizona, observes it.
Meanwhile, the Hopi Reservation , which is surrounded entirely by the Navajo Nation, does not. And within the Hopi Reservation sits a small slice of the Navajo Nation that, you guessed it, does observe daylight saving time. And on March 5, the Florida State Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act , which would make daylight saving time always on in the state.
Well, kind of. If approved, Florida would remain in DST year-round. Congress would have to amend the Uniform Time Act 15 U. Congress has yet to approve the legislation, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
Fifteen other states have made similar moves with laws, voter initiatives and resolutions. Marco Rubio R—Fla. In the fall of , California voted in favor of Proposition 7 that would attempt to repeal the annual clock changes. Next, the state legislature needs to vote on the proposition, followed by the Congress, according to an article on Vox.
However, none of that happened, because the federal government didn't approve the time change, San Diego's CBS8 reported. Nine of Canada's 10 provinces observe daylight saving time. The provinces and territories in Canada that stay on standard time all year include: Some regions of the province of British Columbia, parts of Saskatchewan, northwest Ontario and east Quebec, according to timeanddate.
Meanwhile, Yukon made DST permanent in Most of Europe currently observes daylight saving time, which begins at 1 a. Daylight saving time ends winter time at 1 a.
Daylight saving starts at 2 a. The same 2 a. If the lawmakers and member states agree, the EU members could decide to keep the EU in summer time or winter time, according to the WSJ. Clocks in the observing areas spring forward an hour at 2 a. Jeanna is the editor-in-chief of Live Science. Previously, she was an assistant editor at Scholastic's Science World magazine.
Jeanna has an English degree from Salisbury University, a master's degree in biogeochemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Maryland, and a graduate science journalism degree from New York University.
She has worked as a biologist in Florida, where she monitored wetlands and did field surveys for endangered species. She also received an ocean sciences journalism fellowship from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Live Science. Jump to: When does DST start? Who started daylight saving time?
0コメント