On the second Sunday in March, clocks move one hour “spring” ahead of standard time, giving us a hint of summer.
The implementation of daylight saving time is intended to maximize the use of natural light, but has long been controversial.
Almanac.com says: “DST gives us more daylight hours on summer nights, but in the fall we move our clocks back an hour, which gives us more daylight hours on winter mornings. There are a lot of opponents.”
In many places, this practice was practiced during World War I, and some sources say it is due to its influence.
According to timeanddate.com, “The idea didn't catch on worldwide until Germany introduced DST…On April 30, 1916, two years after the start of World War I, the clocks of the German Empire changed to 1 Time was advanced.The rationale was: “Minimize the use of artificial lighting to save fuel for the war effort.'' Within weeks, the idea was followed by England, France, and other countries. After World War I, most countries returned to standard time, and it wasn't until World War II that daylight saving time was reinstated in most parts of Europe. ”
However, other sources suggest pushing ahead with this transition sooner.
“[Entomologist George]Hudson… came up with the modern concept of daylight saving time[in1895]and proposed a two-hour time difference to allow more daylight hours after work to go insect collecting in the summer. ” says a 2019 National Geographic article. Hudson proposed this plan to the Wellington Philosophical Society, but he was unable to gain support.
Additional sources say that Canadians in Port Arthur were the first to set their clocks forward one hour in July 1908. And before that, British builder William Willett “had an epiphany (in 1905) that Britain should move its clocks forward one hour.'' 80 minutes from April to October so that more people can enjoy the abundance of sunlight,” according to history.com. Also, according to some sources, Benjamin Franklin is said to have pioneered this concept in his 1784 to conserve the use of candles.
Dr. Cindy Faulk, professor of history and assistant dean of graduate studies at the State University of New York at Oneonta, said the motivations for implementing DST are complex, but most are concerned with saving resources. And assumptions about daylight savings time are often wrong, she said.
“There are so many misconceptions and a lack of concrete evidence about daylight saving time and what it does or doesn't do for us,” she says. “I'm a historian and I study agricultural landscapes, so I approach this issue from the perspective of the relationship between agriculture and community development in rural areas. And this whole concept of time is very It's interesting, going back to the creation of time zones and Greenwich Mean Time. There's an impression that daylight saving time was created to support the way rural farmers worked, but that's not true at all. It is more effective for people who are not involved in agriculture because it extends the evening sunlight hours and takes away the morning hours. They want extra light. Their activity remains the same on the second weekend of March. The cows still need to be milked at the same time, and it takes just as long for the dew to fall from the grass. .
“And then there's the discussion about fuel savings and how much fuel you save by adjusting the time, because that was the rationale given during the world wars,” Falk continued. . “During World War I, we followed many other countries in implementing daylight saving time as a way to conserve resources, especially fuel, but after World War I, people said, 'No, we don't need that. No, except in some places like New York City, where it continues to be, New York City adjusts its time and you're up here in the Upstate an hour different. Can you imagine? Congress is debating whether to keep daylight saving time, make it permanent, or abolish it completely, and there are also debates about the effects on traffic accidents and human health. But traffic statistics also appear to be inconclusive, and even if there are reports of students commuting to school in the dark and more deaths, it's unclear how much that has to do with daylight saving time. It is not clear whether
DST was adopted state-wide in 1918, but was repealed just one year later, after which it became a state-by-state option. And, according to history.com, farmers “led the fight for abolition in 1919.” The Uniform Time Act of 1966 standardized timekeeping nationwide, but was amended in 1972 and 1986.
DST compliance is overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation. However, according to transportation.gov, “DOT does not have the authority to abolish or change daylight saving time. Nor does it have a role in determining whether a state observes daylight saving time. If you choose to do so, you must start and end on federally mandated dates. Under the Uniform Time Act, each state may choose to waive observance of daylight saving time by state law. Each state has a permanent daylight saving time You do not have the authority to choose the implementation of
Falk said what initially started as good intentions is now largely seen as unquantifiable.
“You can tell what time it is by looking at the sky and making sure it's noon when you hear the sun. But if you're on a train or communicating with someone in another location, “Having a watch starts to become important if you need to take a watch or something. It's a common sense of time, so I think that's where it all starts,” she said. “It's really interesting to think about this thing that we're talking about, because if you're interested in making data-based decisions, there's not a lot of good data on this particular (problem). , because in the United States we're having a thorough discussion about it.''Going back to Ben Franklin, in other parts of the world even more, people think they need to adjust their clocks in the summer.
“As a historian and as a student of culture, the idea that humans need control over how we partition time is particularly interesting,” Falk continued. “I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a morning person. I'm a night owl, so I love daylight saving time. I don't really like weekends when I change my clock and get sleep deprived, but summer nights I love that it's extended and I have time to enjoy the sunshine after work. I mean, it's very hard to quantify and it's not my area of expertise, but personally, on Sunday mornings when I have to wake up… When it doesn't, it smells. And Monday morning will be when it really hits home.”
A 2009 Daily Star article by regional historian Mark Simonson details the local implementation of DST.
“Since 1918, we have changed our local clocks to daylight saving time, which in some years has been confusing and controversial,” Simonson's article said. “Daylight saving time was certainly controversial. Farmers didn't like it, but golfers and outdoor activity operators loved the extra hour of light after their workday ended. For many years, since 1918, There was an ongoing debate over whether to switch to a time called “Summer”. Discussions ranged from local to state to federal levels. ”
Simonson's article cites an April 1920 Oneonta Herald article titled “Time is Uncertain in Oneonta.” He also said, “In 1921, Daylight Saving Time was submitted to Oneonta voters for consideration. Of over 1,900 votes cast, 1,405 were against and 509 were in favor.”
The Herald article cited said: “The situation is complex because no one wants to play the role of a lawbreaker, and unless some concerted action is taken, endless chaos is almost certain. It will happen.” “Postmaster General Beams, bankers, school officials, and manufacturing leaders have a puzzle they haven't solved yet. The question 'What is the time?' is…a difficult question.”
Simonson's text continues as follows: “An April 21, 1920, advertisement in the Freeman's Journal read, “We would be happy to meet you at the First National Bank of Cooperstown any time, state or standard time.''
That same year, as the state Legislature debated and adjourned the issue, Oneonta's City Council took action and adopted daylight saving time from Sunday, May 9, to October 3. ”
As Simonson pointed out, the Herald published a report about “how a jury in June acquitted a woman in city court of violating state labor law regarding hours worked by female employees.” The confusion continued. Lascaris Restaurant at 183 Main Street and Lambros Pastime Billiards Parlor at 156 Main Street later became the famous restaurant The Diana. ”
Simonson says: “Special Agent Fisher of the New York State Industrial Commission apparently said he witnessed the woman working at Passtime with Lascaris at 10:50 p.m., but state law requires women to work after 10 p.m. The problem was that Fisher was on “Summer” time and Oneonta was also on it. However, Lascaris and Lambros still operated on standard time, which was perfectly legal since it is a federal law and supersedes any state or local laws regarding time. The Herald said the jury was impressed by the arguments of Lascaris and Lambros' lawyers and “returned verdicts of not guilty in each case.”
Officials say the health implications only add to the complex nature of daylight saving time.
In a 2021 Daily Star article, Dr. Lee Edmonds, director of respiratory medicine and sleep specialist at Bassett Healthcare Network, said, “People who enjoy the upheaval in their lives due to the time change that comes with daylight savings time… There are hardly any.”
“This social and biological dissatisfaction is balanced by the benefits of changing times, (and) the current benefits of modern life are frankly very small,” Edmonds said. .
A March 2023 article from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health states, “About 63% of Americans want to eliminate DST, and 55% want to switch to daylight saving time, according to a survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. I found that I was experiencing fatigue afterwards.'' But the change in time doesn't just cause disagreements, moodiness, or discomfort. Researchers say this change has long-term negative effects on our bodies and minds. ”
According to publicheath.jhu.edu, problems associated with daylight saving time include heart attacks and strokes, mood disorders, hospitalizations, and increases in inflammatory stress markers.
