Prepare to Spring Forward on Saturday

Beginning this year, Daylight Saving Time will begin this Saturday, the 11th, at 2 a.m. and end one week later on November 4th. In August of 2005, President Bush signed the “Energy Policy Act”, which changed the dates for Daylight Saving Time (DST) beginning this year. Congress has retained the right to revert back if the change should prove unpopular or energy savings are not significant.

The change is causing headaches for those in who work in information technology. There are still millions of computers, servers and networks scheduled to begin DST on the first Sunday in April. So, computer geeks all over the country are literally racing against the clock to make fixes, lest mayhem result, such as computer calendar snafus, double-booked rooms, and doors locking and unlocking at the wrong time. However, most people will likely not be affected as many systems and networks have already been fixed. Those with older computers may have to hunt online for software patches or just deal with having their clock out of sync for three weeks. The main purpose of DST is to make better use of daylight hours, thereby reducing energy consumption. Polls conducted over the years have shown that the majority of people like DST because people can do more in the evenings with the extra light. Studies have shown that DST does save energy, as less electricity is used for lighting and appliances, as well as decrease traffic accidents by close to one percent. Not everyone is a fan, though. Some complain of the inconvenience of changing clocks and adjusting to a new sleep schedule – something which can be challenging for those with sleep disorders. It is also not popular with people who wake at dawn, or whose schedules might be tied to sunrise – such as farmers. WHO THOUGHT UP THIS TIME ZONE THING ANYWAY? For centuries, people had measured time based on the position of the sun; it was noon when the sun was highest in the sky. Sundials were the time keepers until mechanical clocks began to appear in the Middle Ages. Cities would set their town clock by measuring the position of the sun, so every city would be on a slightly different time. It really didn’t make a difference to most, because travel between towns by horse-drawn cart took a significant amount of time anyway, and the fastest mode of communication at the time was the Pony Express. It wasn’t until the railroads came along that anyone began to care about the inconsistencies of time from town to town. In a matter of years, trains made the old system of setting clocks by astronomical time, used for hundreds of years, obsolete. Britain was the first country to set a uniform time throughout their country. The United States and Canada railroad companies followed soon afterwards by setting time zones for the North American continent. Time zones were first used by the railroads in 1883 to standardize their schedules. In 1884, Canada’s Sir Sandford Fleming convened the 1884 International Prime Meridian Conference in Washington, where the current system of international standard time was adopted. Detroit held out, keeping local time until 1900, when the City Council decreed that clocks should be put back 28 minutes; half the city obeyed, while the other half refused. After considerable debate, the city reverted to sun time. Finally, in 1905, the city voted to adopt Central Standard Time. The use of standard time gradually increased because of the obvious advantages for travel and communication. Standard time zones were finally established by law with the Standard Time Act of 1918. Congress adopted the standard time zones based on those set up by the railroads, and delegated responsibility for any changes to the only federal transportation regulatory agency at the time, the Interstate Commerce Commission. When the Department of Transportation was created in 1966, it assumed responsibility for time laws. DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME The concept of daylight saving was first introduced in the United States around 1784 by Benjamin Franklin, but the idea didn’t catch on at the time. Already being implemented in Europe, Daylight Saving Time was first observed in the United States for seven months in 1918 and 1919, but proved so unpopular that it was repealed in 1919. It then became a local option, and it continued in a few states and some cities. During World War II, President Roosevelt instituted year-round Daylight Saving Time, known then as “War Time”, from 1942 to 1945. At the conclusion of the war, states and localities could choose whether or not to observe Daylight Saving Time, deciding on their own when it began and when it ended. This caused considerable confusion for the broadcasters, railways, airlines and bus companies, who had to publish new schedules every time a state or town began or ended Daylight Saving Time. The Interstate Commerce Commission remained deadlocked on the matter. Many business interests were supportive of standardization, while farmers were opposed. The transportation industries formed an organization, the Committee for Time Uniformity, who rallied public support primarily by pointing out that on a 35-mile stretch of highway between West Virginia and Ohio, there were seven time changes. By 1966, Congress decided to establish one pattern across the country by passing the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which designated Daylight Saving Time to begin on the last Sunday in April, and end on the last Sunday in October. Any state who wanted to be exempt could pass a state law to do so, and was amended in 1986 to begin on the first Sunday in April. Daylight Saving Time is NOT observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Arizona. However, the Navajo Nation, which spans three states (including Arizona) does. For more information: All about Daylight Saving Time - a comprehensive website - click here. The California Department of Energy website about Daylight Saving Time - click here. An opinion blog on The Monster Blog regarding Daylight Saving Time, along with useful links and advice for updating your computer - click here.