The second Sunday in March is the official day that we “Spring Forward” and set the clocks ahead one hour. This means at 2 am on Sunday, March 10th you will need to roll your clock forward one hour to 3am. For most folks, this is the undesirable time adjustment that is dreaded in the daylight savings routine. Losing an hour of sleep is never fun for anyone, and come that Monday morning (when that missing hour is painfully clear) it is certain that more than a few people will wonder “whose idea was all of this?”
The practice of changing the time on the clock to make the most the daylight has been around since Ben Franklin suggested it to a Paris newspaper back in 1784. Ben realized that the sun rose earlier in the spring so moving the clocks forward would allow for more productive time in a day and also conserve on “burning the midnight oil”. However, the practice was not put into use until World War I when Germany utilized it to conserve energy for the war effort. When joining in the war, the United States also saw value in extended daylight time and utilized it for the same purposes. After the war ended, there was talk of keeping the practice, but it was proving to create problems with farmers so it was discontinued. World War II brought the need for daylight savings back and, though it has gone through several changes since then, it has hung around as a permanent plan. Although, not all states are required to participate; Arizona and Hawaii do not observe daylight savings time. Indiana is an exceptional case, as they are included in taking part, though several counties within the state do not subscribe to the policy of time change. Traveling through this state could prove to cause an interesting quandary with your trip itinerary!
For those who get cranky at the mere thought of losing that precious hour of sleep during the “Spring Back” process, take solace in the knowledge that you WILL get that hour back. Mark your calendars now and start counting down the days, that extra hour will be returned to you when you Fall Back on November 3rd!
Comments