(PCM) Many of us moan and groan about Daylight Savings Time because for most of us, unless you live in Arizona or Hawaii, will be losing an hour of precious sleep. The clocks “spring ahead” one hour beginning this Sunday, 3/8 at 2:00am.
The entire idea behind Daylight Savings time started as a way to both conserve energy and make better use out of the daylight hours. The idea of Daylight Savings Time was first instituted in the U.S. back in 1918, however the idea was actually conceived by Benjamin Franklin in 1784. It was truly made official in 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act, thus making it a law, however the states were allowed to exempt themselves from participation, hence Arizona and Hawaii who do not participate in DST.
It typically runs from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November. It was even once described by the great Winston Churchill as “An extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an extra snooze one night in the autumn … We borrow an hour one night in April; we pay it back with golden interest five months later.”
There has been both good and bad associated with the Daylight Savings Time, as research shows that more workplace and traffic accidents occur just after the time switch, however many fire departments urge people to use Daylight Savings Time as a reminder to switch the batteries out in smoke detectors and look at other home safety concerns. There was also a study that was conducted back in 2008 that showed a significant increase in both heart attacks and suicide immediately following the “springing forward” of DST.
It also seems that Daylight Savings Time actually does very little to actually conserve electricity and is said to cost the U.S. billions in disruptions to the airline and retail industry, as well as TV ratings and the stock market. Either way, Daylight Savings Time is here to stay, so don’t party too hard this weekend and make sure you remember to set the clocks ahead one hour at 2:00am on Sunday, 3/8!
