And we are back to Standard time on Nov. 2 as millions in the U.S. and billions globally go from clock to clock turning the hour back from Daylight Saving Time (DST) to Standard time.
How did we end up running around changing clocks twice a year? The idea is old, but in the U.S. the practice is fairly recent.
Civilizations like the Romans adjusted daily schedules seasonally, using water clocks.
In 1895, New Zealand entomologist George Hudson proposed a two-hour time shift to maximize evening daylight for his insect studies.
Germany became the first country to implement DST on April 30, 1916, during World War I, to conserve coal. Other European nations, including the UK, followed within weeks.
The U.S. adopted DST under the Standard Time Act of 1918, also to save fuel during the war. Clocks were advanced one hour from March to October. However, it was repealed in 1919 due to public and agricultural opposition.
During World War II, many countries, including the U.S., reintroduced DST to conserve resources. In the U.S., "War Time" (year-round DST) was mandated from February 1942 to September 1945.
After WWII, U.S. states and localities could choose whether to observe DST, leading to confusion. In 1965, Iowa had 23 different DST variations.
The Uniform Time Act of 1966 established a federal framework for DST, allowing states to opt out but requiring uniformity within states.
The 1973 oil crisis prompted the U.S. to experiment with year-round DST in 1974'1975 to save energy, but public backlash led to its reversal.
In 1986, U.S. DST was extended to start the first Sunday in April. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 further extended it, effective 2007, to the second Sunday in March through the first Sunday in November, as it remains today in most observing areas.
