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Tag: fall back

  • Daylight Saving Time Fall Forward Whose Idea was It?

    Daylight saving time ends on this upcoming Sunday November 3rd at 2 a.m. It only takes a few seconds to set personal clocks back to anticipate the time change. Many people loath when the time changes due to the problems it causes during the following work week. There is always that one person in the office or within a personal circle of friends who will be late to work or an upcoming social event because the simply forgot to adjust their time.

    Throughout history, several civilizations have recorded adjustments in their schedule to be in tune with the sun during the day. Benjamin Franklin while traveling in Paris decided to expound upon the idea of getting more time during the day. He wrote an essay entitled, “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light” that discussed saving on candle use by getting up earlier and using the sunlight. Some people credit Franklin with the discovery and others lean towards a New Zealand astronomer and entomologist named George Vernon Hudson. He wrote a paper about moving time forward two hours in October and back two hours in March. This paper was submitted to the Wellington Philosophical Society, even though he did more research and another article nothing was ever enacted upon.

    William Willetts idea of moving time forward during the summer by twenty minutes in April on Sunday, and reversing the time in September was seen as important by Robert Pierce. Pierce persuaded the House of Commons through a new bill that was not approved or turned into a statute before his death. Daylight saving time was used heavily during both WWI and WWII to save on costs for fuel and lighting. A great deal of confusion lasted throughout the years for service industries that operated on tight schedules. Trains and media outlets were not able to follow the time changes well. Modern daylight savings time was made into law through the Uniform Time Act of 1966.

    This gave uniformity to the times changed, but states still have the opportunity to not participate. People who live in Arizona do not have to worry about setting their clocks back, due to it not being used within the state.

     


    Image via Thinkstockphoto

  • Daylight Saving Ends On November 3

    Daylight Saving Ends On November 3

    While many Americans are knowingly looking forward to Halloween festivities this Thursday, a lesser known reason to celebrate is also coming to the population this week. On Sunday, an extra hour of sleep awaits the American public, just as sweet to college students, working parents, and other members of the sleep-deprived masses as any piece of candy could hope to be. The clocks will be rolling back an hour on Sunday, November 3, at 2:00 A.M. in order to make the official end of Daylight saving time for the 2013 year.

    Interestingly enough, the federal government does not require states and territories to abide by daylight savings. For this reason, residents of Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and a few other places will not be getting an extra hour of sleep come Sunday morning. America is also not the only nation to participate in daylight saving time; some parts of Brazil observe it, and both Russia and Japan are thinking of re-instating the practice in order to solve energy problems.

    The practice of daylight savings began during World War I, when countries implemented it to save on energy costs accumulated by artificial lighting. During World War II, the United States made daylight savings time mandatory, and even implemented it year-around between 1942 and 1945. Since then, it has become optional for states and territories to abide by daylight saving time. There has been some discussion about the actual benefits of daylight saving time, but no real change; most states opt into the saving time, and there are many weary people that treasure their extra hour in thankfulness.

    So, as this joyous time draws close, this writer would like to remind the readers here at WebProNews to “fall back” and set their clocks back and hour and re-set their alarms before they go to sleep on Saturday so that they may get the full benefits of their extra hour of dream time. Many public safety officials also encourage people to change the batteries in their smoke alarms around this time of year, and encourage people to act responsibly as they soak up their extra hour of bar time, if they so choose. Regardless of how you choose to spend it, be safe, have fun, and make the most of your extra hour on Sunday!

    [Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.]