Daylight Savings Time "Begins"

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The History of Daylight Savings Time

Daylight Savings Time was created in 1918 to 'save daylight.' Near the equator, summers and winters have nearly identical amounts of daylight. However, as you move toward either pole, summer days begin to last longer, as do winter nights.

In order to compensate for the darker winter nights, most Americans set their clocks back one hour in the Fall, effectively creating an extra hour of daylight. Once the summer approaches, however, that extra hour of daylight is no longer needed. On Daylight Savings, most Americans will move their clocks ahead one hour. We "spring forward" because we no longer need the extra hour of sunlight during the day.

Daylight Savings Time also saves energy. Because shifting our clocks results in more sunlight during our everyday schedules, people don't need to turn the lights on and they use less energy. It is estimated that we save 1% on energy every day due to Daylight Savings Time, a significant amount when put in perspective the amount of energy people use.

1 billion people in 70 countries observe Daylight Savings Time in some form. The only U.S. territories that do not observe Daylight Savings Time are Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.

In 2007, a new federal law in the US was enacted that changed Daylight Savings Time from the first Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October to the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November. This adds an hour of sunlight for an additional month hopefully saving even more energy.