Daylight Saving pays off November 1

Daylight Saving Time (DST) starts in the spring, but at 2 am on November 1, most of America will return to Standard Time, including those of us in California.

This tradition has been around for a long time, but in its current form, it was developed by New Zealander George Hudson in 1895. He suggested a two hour shift, so he would have more hours of daylight in the spring and summer, but the idea didn’t really take off until World War I.

In 1918, a Standard Time Act was signed, putting Daylight Savings into place. Daylight Savings gave workers and families more hours of light during the late spring and all throughout the summer, and led to the mnemonic reminder: “Spring forward, fall back.”

According to Almanac.com, the biannual change was further strengthened by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, but not everyone is ready to continue the practice. “As of September 1, 2020, at least 32 states have considered 85 pieces of legislation, and six states—Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, South Carolina, Utah, and Wyoming—have enacted legislation” (Almanac.com).

And while it is losing favor in the United States, it is also being reevaluated throughout the rest of the world. “Today, 70 countries change their clocks midyear for Daylight Saving Time, including most of North America, Europe and parts of South America and New Zealand. China, Japan, India and most countries near the equator don’t fall back or jump ahead. In much of Asia and South America, the Daylight Saving Time shift was adopted, but then abandoned. It has never been observed in most of Africa” Washington Post).

While the Sun naturally provides the earth with additional light during the warmer months, changing the clock dial helps make those hours more user-friendly. DST has some benefits. Clocks are changed during the summer months to move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. As the winter months are approaching, the sun is rising later, so moving the clocks back regains those early morning hours where the sun can brighten the day.