It’s time to spring forward and fall back! Or is it
fall forward and spring back? Why do we do this every year, anyway?
If you ask most people what they think about daylight savings time, they’d probably say
“Oh, that’s when I lose an hour of sleep”! And for some people, the effects are much
more annoying than just being a little tired for one day. For those with little kids,
adjusting their sleep schedules to the time change can take weeks - especially if their bedtime is
suddenly before the sun sets. And if you’re a cat owner, you’d better believe that they’ll remember
exactly when you’re supposed to be feeding them - regardless of what the clock says.
So is there actually a point to this annual tradition,
or is it just one of those things we do because our parents did it?
The answer is surprisingly complicated, and to find out the roots you’ve got to
go back to long before modern civilization. Back when society was agrarian in nature,
time wasn’t kept like it is today - it was defined primarily by the time the sun was in the sky,
and time was governed by the seasons. Ancient civilizations would sometimes divide daylight
by twelve no matter how long it is, and just adjust the length of the hours as time got longer.
The Romans built water clocks that would have different scales based on the time of year,
so the length of hours shifted as needed. While this system of timekeeping has largely died out,
it still exists in one place untouched by time - the all-male Monastery of Mount Athos.
But then, everything changed.
The world slowly shifted from an agrarian model to an industrial one, and suddenly time was a lot
more flexible. After all, someone could carve wood or work in a factory whether it was light or dark,
if they had enough light. So the calendars and clocks were standardized, and the days became
a standard twenty-four hours. This still posed some problems - as the days shifted,
people would often find themselves getting up for work while it was still pitch black outside.
But overall the system worked, and at least time was easier to keep track of.
But some big minds had other ideas.
Ben Franklin was a busy man, and he got that way by giving his brain the proper rest - coining
the famous phrase “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”.
This was before electricity was widespread, and the primary method of lighting things after dark
was candles - which could be both expensive and dangerous if one tipped over and started a fire.
Going to sleep when it got dark and waking up at the crack of dawn was one way to avoid
candle use - which was why Franklin wrote to the Journal of Paris suggesting waking
up earlier in the summer. Everyone had a good laugh at this idea for savings.
And then it started to catch on.
It would be over a hundred years later when entomologist George Hudson had a problem.
The New Zealand scientist loved collecting and studying insects, but during the southern
hemisphere spring, daylight hours were still short. Hudson suggested shifting the clocks by two
hours to give him more hours to dig in the dirt while the bugs were active - but surprisingly,
the Wellington Philosophical Society wasn’t all that interested. But only ten years later,
a British builder named William Willett made the same proposal and got a good amount of support
in the UK. The reason for this? He loved summer and wanted more of it. He released a pamphlet
suggesting an eighty-minute shift to be done in four chunks during April, but it wasn’t adopted.
At least not immediately.
The first area to institute daylight savings time was Port Arthur, Canada in 1908, but many other
countries followed - with the German Empire and Austria-Hungary both adding it in 1916,
the first full countries to do so. Today, much of the world springs forward and falls
back - including almost all of North America, plus most of Europe and a large chunk of the
Middle East. And in Chile, Paraguay, New Zealand, and parts of Australia, they do
the opposite - falling forward and springing back, to prepare for their summer in December, January,
and February. Hopefully Santa has his shorts and sunscreen for when he drops by Melbourne.
But the reason Daylight Savings Time spread around the world had dark roots.
It was around the same time the first countries instituted the system
when the world was engulfed in war. World War I tore across Europe, and all the countries
involved found themselves devoting a huge portion of their resources to the military.
The factories shifted full-on into building weapons and other supplies,
and the countries found themselves in an energy crunch. So naturally…it was time to save some
energy…and one of the best ways to do that was to have more daytime. The United States was one
of the latest adopters, waiting until 1918, but this daytime shift became a staple during
the war. Most countries abandoned it soon afterward as they rebuilt from the carnage.
But not all of them.
So why did some countries keep daylight savings time after the war?
It’s not for one reason - no matter how many people tell you otherwise. A common theory is
that it was created to benefit farmers, so they would have more time to do their daily chores.
But if you actually ask the farmers, they’ll tell you something very different - and they may just
be carrying pitchforks while they do! Farmers are actually strongly against daylight savings time,
because just like ancient times, their schedule is dependent on the sun. If they
get up when it’s still dark, the cows will still be sleeping and not be in the mood to be milked.
So if it’s not about the farmers, then how did it happen?
It may be a bit of an accident of history. Not long after World War I ended,
tensions ramped up again - because the world was really looking for a sequel. Sure enough,
Daylight Savings Time, now called War Time, was implemented once again for the second time in
three decades - and after having to shift back and forth so often, many people were
just ready to adjust to the new status quo and not have to shift back yet again. After the war,
it was left up to local jurisdictions to decide if they wanted to go back - and most didn’t.
But the debate continues to this day.
After the war, most states kept daylight savings time, switching back and forth every year. But
in the 1970s another crisis emerged - a massive energy shortage in the United States caused by
an oil embargo from OPEC against countries that had supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
With energy costs skyrocketing, the government decided to implement permanent daylight savings
time during the winter of 1974 - and everyone hated it! What works well in summer doesn’t work
nearly as well in winter, and soon everyone found their mornings plunged into darkness.
That included more dangerous commutes as tired workers tried to make their way to the
office in the middle of the night - and even kids boarding the school bus before sunrise.
As soon as the energy crisis abated, so did permanent DST - but not the arguments.
So why do some people hate daylight savings time so much? For one thing - no one likes
to lose an hour of sleep once a year! Some people report an effect similar to jet lag,
where their internal clock is off for an extended period and they have trouble getting their groove
back for days or weeks. Additionally, there are the issues with farming and other sun-dependent
activities. Some people even claim that daylight savings time poses a danger - both
through the increased risk of car accidents and other accidents caused by distractions,
and through the impact on the human circadian rhythms. Studies show that people are even
more likely to have heart attacks in the weeks after daylight savings time.
And then there’s another impact - it’s just hard and annoying.
It’s difficult enough to drag yourself out of bed on time for school or work
every morning - and now you’re supposed to remember to set your clocks ahead or behind
because time changes? How many people have missed shifts, tests,
or meetings because of this twice-a-year ritual? Then there are the impacts on computer systems,
which all have to be coded to switch over automatically. In a global world, this is even
more complicated - some nations or jurisdictions use DST, while others don’t. So a meeting over
Zoom between two parties set for 3 PM could easily be an hour apart for different people.
So with all these negatives, why do we keep it?
Because there are a lot of positives as well, and many people feel they outweigh the
annoyance. For one thing, Seasonal Affective Disorder causes a lot of people to become
depressed during the winter due to the lack of sunlight, and shifting the clock has been
shown to relieve the symptoms. In addition to the benefits for psychological health,
it reduces evening traffic accidents due to the improved visibility and makes it easier
for people to engage in recreation, after-school activities, and commerce. Many businesses support
daylight savings time because it gives them more prime tourism hours to pack in the guests.
But does it really match up to the hype?
One of the biggest selling points for daylight savings time dating back to Franklin was that
it would save energy costs. Sure, we’re not using candles now, but having all the lights
on in the house once it gets dark does add to the electric bill. So is there actually
a savings for the average person from shifting the clock forward an hour in the springtime?
A 2017 study showed that there is - but it’s only a whopping three-tenths of one percent
during the time that daylight savings time is in effect. Energy patterns keep shifting,
so the effects of DST when it was first proposed might not apply in the same way today.
But one of the biggest complaints about daylight savings time is that it’s just plain weird!
Think about it - the government takes an hour away every spring, and then gives it back in the fall.
Not only does this mean we all have to set our clocks manually - or hope the software
doesn’t screw up - but it means that when we spring back, we live the same hour twice. Does
that mean that whatever we do in that hour doesn’t count? Only one way to find out - but, uh, you
probably shouldn’t try that defense in court if you use it to do something illegal. As for
all those college students who hold secret parties before the hour resets in the fall,
just remember - what happens in daylight savings time, stays in daylight savings time.
Today, one of the most interesting things
about daylight savings time is who uses it - and who doesn’t.
It’s a tale of two worlds when it comes to daylight savings time,
as it’s almost entirely a creation of Europe and the countries known as the Anglosphere.
It’s not a surprise - it started there decades before it actually became policy,
and the effects of the World Wars on Europe led many countries to adopt it. But it was previously
much more widespread - every country that’s in light gray formerly used Daylight Savings
Time at some point, but eventually abolished it. And there’s an explanation for that too.
It’s our old friend colonialism.
Most of the countries that used daylight savings time but did away
with it at some point were previously under the control of another nation,
such as Britain’s lengthy occupation of India that only ended shortly after World War II.
And so it made sense to keep them on the same time as the controlling nation - time zones aside. But
as one country after another gained independence and shed their colonial past, many asked the same
question we do as we stagger out of bed minus one hour of sleep - why are we doing this exactly?
And for some countries, there really isn’t a good answer.
Daylight Savings Time is designed for a specific environment - one where they’re far enough away
from the equator for the orbit of the earth to have a significant impact on the daylight hours,
but not so far away that the distinction is extreme and the extra hour really wouldn’t
make a difference. Many of the countries that never used daylight savings time, like Venezuela,
much of Africa, and Southeast Asian nations like Thailand, are almost exactly on the
equator - which means their sun hours remain surprisingly consistent through the year.
And then there’s the other extreme.
For locations north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle,
something amazing happens twice a year. During the summer months, for a certain period,
the sun can be seen throughout the night. Draw those curtains and try to get some sleep,
because in Cape Nordkinn in Norway, the sun doesn’t set between May 11th and July 31st.
During this situation, it’s unlikely that an hour of extra sunlight would make much
of a difference for anyone - but that doesn’t stop Norway from using daylight savings time.
And for every ray of light, there has to be some darkness.
During winter in these areas, that missing darkness comes roaring back in a phenomenon
named polar night. When the night lasts more than twenty-four hours,
shifting the hours wouldn’t make much of a difference. In most regions,
this only lasts for a few days at most - but the further north you go, the more extreme it gets.
Most of the regions with extended polar night are uninhabited - but in Alaska’s most northern city,
Barrow, the sun sets and doesn’t come back for sixty-seven days in the winter.
The residents would probably love some daylight-saving if they could find it.
So why do regions in extreme climates still use daylight savings time?
While Iceland, commonly nicknamed the land of the midnight sun, doesn’t use daylight savings time,
many other countries in the north do - despite not getting much out of it. But while these
countries are outliers, they also tend to do most of their business and get most of their tourism
from countries to their south. So for them, daylight savings time might just be a smart
business decision - keeping everyone safely on the same page to avoid scheduling snafus
when someone pays a visit to the north to get a tan at 11:30 PM in the summer.
But sometimes there are strange outliers even within a country.
If you live in the United States, you’d better be able to keep track of time zones.
With four contiguous time zones, plus Alaska and Hawaii off on their own,
it’s enough of a challenge to know what time it is when you call a friend in another state.
But at least everyone switches their clocks at the same time - right?
Not exactly. Two states have struck out on their own and done away with daylight savings time
entirely. One is Hawaii, which is much to the south of the rest of the US and near the equator.
Shifting their clocks wouldn’t mean much - and besides, they’re on island time over there.
But the other might surprise you.
It’s not Alaska, where extreme conditions are a way of life. They’ve decided to keep pace with
the rest of the US. The other outlier…is Arizona, where they have a unique reason
to not want longer daylight in the summer. Arizona gets hot in the summer. Very hot.
Temperatures in one of America’s biggest cities, Phoenix, can reach above 120 degrees Fahrenheit
for several months of the year - and the only time there’s any relief is when the sun sets. So for
residents of the Grand Canyon State, they’re certainly not going to make that any longer.
So are we stuck in a cycle of changing our clocks back and forth - forever?
It’s not guaranteed, because the debate over this strange clock-shifting ritual continues.
Some say it’s time to get rid of it altogether - including farmers, parents,
school teachers, and those worried about public safety. Computer experts also say
that while a lot of the problems with the change-over have been ironed out,
we’re also only one missed piece of code away from a total disaster - and the social benefits might
not be worth the risk of a Y2K-style event happening twice a year if things go awry.
But there’s another proposal as well - and it might surprise people.
What if we just changed our clocks, sprang forward and lost that hour - and then never put it back?
Year-round, the sun would rise an hour later and set an hour later. This would mean more daylight
not just during the summer months like intended, but also during the winter when the sun often sets
as early as 4 or 5 PM during the shortest days. It would keep the benefits without the chaos of
the twice-yearly time shifts - and some countries and states have actually already gone with this,
including Iceland, Argentina, and Belarus. Even Canada’s province of Saskatchewan and its Yukon
Territory looked at what the rest of the country was doing and went - nah, we’re good over here.
But for every positive, there are a bunch of negatives.
You know how daylight savings time starts, and suddenly you’re driving to work in the dark?
That’s as the days start getting longer and people usually acclimate quickly - but with
permanent daylight savings time, millions of morning commuters would find themselves
driving long distances and even starting their work day in pitch blackness. And then there’s
the children - not only would they be riding the bus to school in the dark,
but in the winter months there’s a good chance their first few classes
would be in the dark as well. Good luck keeping them from falling asleep, teach.
But that hasn’t stopped a lot of people from charging ahead.
Around the world, multiple countries have experimented with year-round daylight savings time
- but somehow, it never seems to stick. Russia spent much of the Soviet era in this mode - and if
the people objected, they probably weren’t saying it too loudly. However, when the country switched
to this mode again in 2011, it only lasted three years because people realized just how much of the
day they’d be spending in darkness - especially during the winter. The United Kingdom and Ireland
also tested it for three years in the 1960s as an energy-saving maneuver, but moved back by 1971.
But the United States wasn’t exactly deterred.
In the US, states have the right to opt out of daylight savings time - which is how Arizona
preserves its precious summer shade. But the law doesn’t let states opt out of standard time,
so all states can do is send a strongly-worded letter. And they have - with Florida and all three
of the west-coast states passing bills asking for a permanent shift to daylight-saving mode.
Multiple east-coast states are studying it as well - and everyone was surprised
in March 2022 when the Senate suddenly passed the Sunshine Protection Act,
making DST permanent in all states currently observing it. Even more surprising, the vote was
unanimous - making it one of the only times Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz ever agreed on anything.
Now it’s just a House vote and a President’s signature away from becoming law.
So what would life look like under permanent daylight savings time?
The odds are that any early hiccups would be worked out over time. Humans are resilient,
and can deal with a lot of change in a short period. It’s entirely possible for someone to
have lived through both the Civil War and World War II, which means they saw one war start with
rifles and another one end with a nuclear bomb. Compared to that, a permanent schedule shift is
nothing - and after a few years, darker mornings and longer days will just be a fact of life.
Public safety will adapt to make it easier to navigate the world in dark mornings - anyone
who produces high-powered headlights should probably be rooting for this bill.
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be some weird stuff going on.
Daylight savings time has some unusual effects, and making it permanent might create some
long-term benefits. For one thing, a 2015 study shows that the start of daylight savings time
causes a decrease in crime. This is probably because criminals are more likely to commit
robberies at night, and less likely to be up for a good old-fashioned mugging early in the morning
when it’s still dark out. Would this persist and create a permanent drop in crime, or would the
criminals just start taking Benjamin Franklin’s advice to heart and shift their schedules?
And permanent daylight savings time has some strong allies - and unusual ones!
Daylight savings time used to end on the last Sunday in October - which is usually
a few days before Halloween. While some people might remember collecting candy
well into the night - and maybe throwing some toilet paper onto trees - most districts where
trick-or-treating is common have a curfew for kids to keep them safe and deter mischief.
It’s common for this to be not long after dark, which meant that kids only had a few hours to roam
the streets. But it wasn’t angry kids who lobbied for this to change - it was the candy companies,
and they got their way, with daylight savings time being extended into November as of 2007.
In fact, what we call “standard time” isn’t really standard at all.
Daylight savings time sounds special - like a break from the rest of the year. But in fact,
it’s the norm the majority of the time. There have been several extensions of the period,
and now it runs from March through the beginning
of November - over two-thirds of the year. It’s no wonder that many people
think that there’s no point to switching back for only four months out of the year,
especially since all we get out of it is a little more daylight when it’s time to get up for work.
And the debate often comes down to business vs. business.
Keep daylight savings time? Expand it year-round? Junk it all together?
Even the entertainment and retail sector can’t agree on what would be better for them.
The debate has been raging for decades, with department store owners and other retail players
wanting it to stay. After all, more daylight means more prime shopping hours. The same can’t
be said for theater owners - especially one kind. Some people believe the adoption of DST
in 1966 helped to drive the drive-in movie theater out of business, because they
needed it to be dark out to start and few people were going to be up for starting a movie at 9PM.
But one industry has more to gain - or lose - than any other.
Transportation systems are all about schedules, especially international
ones like intercontinental airlines. At least, that’s what they say - anyone who’s ever been
stranded at the airport or waiting at the bus stop endlessly probably thinks differently.
But when the clocks change over, these companies have to shift every one of their routes to make
sure they stay aligned properly. The Air Transport Association claimed that the cost of aligning
all their routes with the countries that don’t have DST could cost them over a hundred million
dollars a year - which means that while they were never fans of the shift to begin with,
they’d probably want it to be settled permanently one way or another.
So should we keep planning on resetting our clocks?
Well, for this whole debate to end, we’ll have to hope all the branches of our government can
get along long enough to decide something. And then maybe the rest of the world will get in
sync as well, and we won’t have to keep up with this strange ritual every year.
So yeah, better get ready to fall back.
Want to learn more about strange time changes?
Check out “Scientists Reveal How Time Travel Is Actually Possible” or watch this video instead.