Daylight Saving Time - Where Does it Come From?

For thousands of years, people have been adjusting their daily schedules according to the seasonal sunlight. Take me for instance - I hibernate in a hidden ice cave from early November through the end of February. As of this writing, my eyes are still adjusting to the strange light of the golden sky orb. But enough about me.

Upset the hun! Set those clocks forward lads!

In United States history, the practice of Daylight Saving Time (turning your clocks forward during warmer months to prolong evening daylight) harkens back to the not-so-distant past. The United States Government adopted Daylight Saving during WWI in order to encourage economic output and conserve energy by having more daylight during working hours - but we weren’t the first. That distinction belongs to Germany, who also adopted the practice during The Great War. Then came the Brits. Then the USA in March of 1918.

It made sense at the time. In coal powered days of yore, more daylight work meant serious energy savings as less coal was needed to light & heat workspaces. By changing their clocks, people were contributing to the war effort!

Nowadays losing an hour of sleep is just a pain in the neck. Maybe we should get rid of it. What do you think?