Why do we 'fall back' for daylight saving time? What to know about the time change
Millions of Americans will turn back their clocks in November, marking the end of daylight saving time in 2023.
The controversial practice of "springing forward" and "falling back" has been observed in most states for decades. Under the current daylight saving time period, most Americans lose an hour of sleep on the second Sunday of March and gain an hour the first Sunday of November.
So why do we "fall back" and "spring forward"? Here's what to know about the origins of daylight saving time.
When does the time change? When will we 'fall back'?
Daylight saving time ends Nov. 5 at 2 a.m. We will "fall back," turning our clocks back to 1 a.m., gaining an extra hour of sleep.
Why do we have daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time was introduced in the United States in 1918 with the Standard Time Act, which was meant to lower fuel costs during the First World War. The law also established a standard time and allowed the federal government to create five time zones.
The government stopped observing daylight saving time after World War I ended, but reimplemented it during World War II. Congress decided to make daylight saving time permanent for two years from 1973 to 1975, extending the hours of daily sunlight to conserve energy during the oil embargo crisis. However, the law was repealed in 1974 for being unpopular and ineffective.
In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, standardizing the length of daylight saving time. The dates we use to observe daylight saving time today ‒ starting on the second Sunday of March and ending on the first Sunday of November – were established in 2005 when Congress amended the Act.
According to the Department of Transportation, daylight saving time saves energy, prevents traffic injuries and reduces crime.
Who created daylight saving time?
Benjamin Franklin is often credited with first proposing daylight saving in his 1784 essay, "An Economical Project." The idea wasn't seriously considered, however, until more than a century later when William Willetts, a British builder, fiercely advocated for it.
The current daylight saving time format was proposed in New Zealand by entomologist George Hudson. In 1895, he recommended a two-hour time change because he wanted to have more daylight after work to go hunting for bugs in the summer.
Which states do not observe daylight saving time?
Not all states and U.S. territories participate in daylight saving time.
Hawaii and Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) do not observe daylight saving time, and neither do the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why do we 'fall back' for daylight saving time? Here's what to know
