Every year I send out time change announcements to my clients and friends without even thinking about why we change our clocks. This year I got to wondering: Where did the idea of Daylight Saving Time originate? (Yes, it is singular!)

Curious, I decided to do a little research and was amazed at the detailed information I discovered. If you, too, are interested, here are some things I learned from the California Energy Commission Website:

  • Daylight Saving Time is observed in most of the United States and approximately 70 other countries.
  • Daylight Saving Time has been around since the earliest part of the 20th century and even earlier. However, the American law that causes us to change our clocks did not emerge until 1966.
  • One of the main reasons we change our clocks is that it reportedly saves energy. In fact, the most recent change to Daylight Saving Time came as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which, beginning March, 2007, extended Daylight Saving Time by one month.
  • Benjamin Franklin first wrote about the idea in an essay titled ”An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light” in 1784. More than a century later, an Englishman named William Willett again suggested the idea culminating in the introduction of British Summer Time in 1916. In addition, recognizing that the nation could save energy, England changed their clocks during World War I.
  • In the U.S., Congress put the country on Daylight Saving Time in 1918 for the remainder of World War I in an effort to conserve resources for the war. The law was so unpopular that it was later repealed. At war again, Congress reinstated Daylight Saving Time in February, 1942. It remained in effect until September 1945.
  • From 1945 to 1966, states and localities were free to choose whether to enact Daylight Saving Time or not, which resulted in widespread confusion for trains, buses and the broadcasting industry. Congress stepped in with the Uniform Time Act of 1966 which stated that Daylight Saving Time would be consistent across the country.
  • Two more changes to Daylight Saving Time dates were later made by Presidents Ronald Regan and George W. Bush.
  • Today, Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 AM on the Second Sunday in March and lasts until 2 AM on the First Sunday of November.

So…while I prefer the longer days of summer and will have to bid them farewell until next spring, don’t forget to “Fall Back” on Sunday, November 1, at 2 AM. Oh, and while you’re at it, don’t forget to also change the batteries in your smoke detectors!