Why do we have Daylight Saving time?

October 31, 12:23 PMLittleton Homeschooling ExaminerLynda Ackert

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Do you know the history of Daylight Saving time?

The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin during his sojourn as an American delegate in Paris in 1784, in an essay, "An Economical Project." Over a century later, the idea was first advocated seriously by London builder William Willett but was finally enacted in England one year after his death in 1916.


U.S. History of Daylight Saving:
1918: The U.S. first adopted daylight-saving time, in an act that created standard time zones, in an effort to save energy during World War I. It didn't prove popular, and, as a result, it was repealed the following year.
1942: President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted "war-time," a year-round daylight-saving time to save energy during World War II. After the year-round shift ended in 1945, many states adopted their own summer time changes.
1966: Congress established a national pattern for summer time changes with the Uniform Time Act. The act came in response from the transportation industry, which demanded consistency across time zones.
1973: An oil embargo by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries led Congress to enact a test period of year-round daylight-saving time in 1974 and 1975. The test period was controversial; it ended after complaints that the dark winter mornings endangered children traveling to school. The U.S. returned to summer daylight-saving time in 1975.
1986: The Federal law is amended to start daylight-saving time on the first Sunday in April, beginning in next year. The ending date of daylight-saving time was never changed, and remained the last Sunday in October through 2006.
2005: On August 8, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law. Part of the act extend daylight-saving time starting in 2007, from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.

Would you like a webquest on Daily Savings for you homeschooler? (Click Here!) (Answers)

Daylight Savings Online Resources:
Webexhibits
National Geographic

Photo: Public Domain/WikiCommons