Daylight saving time is accredited to William Willett, who published The Waste of Daylight in 1907 to argue for more sunlight in the summer. But while Britain talked about Willett’s proposal for years, it wasn’t them who first enacted it.
After its repeal, various states and cities would continue to adjust their clocks twice a year, at completely different days and times. Time Magazine called this the “chaos of clocks”.
The US utilized daylight savings during World War 1 as well, under Woodrow Wilson in 1918, but it was repealed the next year.
Germany was, in fact, the first country to utilize daylight savings during World War 1 as a way to conserve electricity by maximizing sunlight.
Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, which set daylight savings time to begin on the last Sunday in April and end on the last Sunday of October. It has been amended to now be the 2nd Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November.
Currently, there are no studies that show daylight savings actually saving us energy.
There are, however, studies that show electricity bills going up. While we may be using lights less because of the increased sunlight, some areas are needing to use more power for heating/cooling.
Multiple states and territories, including Hawaii and Arizona, do not recognize daylight savings. They actually prefer more night time because of the cooler air and more bearable temperatures.
Florida passed a bill in 2018 to keep daylight savings year round. So far nothing has come of this bill, but they and other states are hoping to end the time shifts in the near future.
Other states that wish to end daylight savings are Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Idaho, and have all introduced legislation to do so.
It’s commonly said that daylight savings is for farmers so they have more time to work their land, but that’s not actually true. Farmer’s work is based off sunlight, not the time on a clock. So whether you call it 6 A.M. or 7 A.M., their schedule doesn’t change.
Studies have shown that at the beginning of daylight savings, there has been an increase of 0.9% in spending in cities that observe the time change versus cities that don’t. They also showed that at the end of daylight savings, there was a reduction of 3.9% in spending.
A study has shown a 24% increase in the number of heart attacks on the Monday after daylight savings. Mondays already have a higher risk of heart attacks due to the new workweek and changes in sleep cycles.
In the world of federal courts, the first Monday after daylight savings is called “sleepy Monday”, and is linked to longer prison sentences by about 5%.
There is also a 16% increase in car accidents on the first Monday after daylight savings. This study went on to say that year-round daylight savings could reduce vehicle fatalities by 195 deaths per year.
The time jump also affects the mining industry, with 5.7% more injuries and 68% more workdays lost because of injuries.
Our computers, smartphones, and pretty much anything with a clock and connection to the internet will automatically update the time for us. Unfortunately, most insulin pumps are forgotten about when changing the clocks.
Daylight savings memes for anyone who’s exhausted and confused
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