CHRONICLES OF THE CLOCK

The concept dates back to Benjamin Franklin in 1784, who jokingly suggested that Parisians could save money on candles if they simply woke up earlier. (Classic Ben. Inventor, diplomat, and apparently the world’s first morning person.)

The concept of Daylight Saving Time as we know it today was first proposed by George Vernon Hudson, a postal worker, and entomologist from New Zealand. Hudson is credited with proposing modern-day daylight saving time. His shift-work job gave him leisure time to collect insects, and led him to value after-hours daylight.  In 1895, he presented a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society proposing a two-hour daylight-saving shift, and after considerable interest was expressed in Christchurch, he followed up in an 1898 paper and the Summer-Time Act was passed in 1927.

But clocks didn’t actually change for us until World War I, when Germany adopted daylight saving time in 1916 to conserve coal during the war. The United States followed in 1918.

So the entire country now changes its clocks twice a year because of coal shortages during a war that ended over a century ago.  

And there are some drawbacks.  The spring transition causes sleep deprivation, resulting in a roughly 10% increase in heart attacks, more strokes, and a 5.7% rise in workplace injuries.  Studies estimate that "cyber-loafing" and fatigue in the days following the time change result in over $400 million in lost productivity annually.

A study published last year by researchers from several business schools found that investors and capital market participants are slower to respond to accounting reports in the week after we "spring forward" – which falls smack in the middle of earnings season.

Another weird fact?  In the early 80's Indiana had some counties on DST and some counties not.  My Mother-in-Law lived there.  When making appointments or social engagement you had to confirm the time in that location!

(she lived in the southeast corner)

Here’s the part that surprised me: farmers hate it.

Cows do not care what Congress says the time is. They are extremely committed to their own schedule and will not be rushed. So when clocks changed, farmers were suddenly trying to milk cows an hour earlier while the cows were still standing there like, “Nice try.”

Only Arizona and Hawaii have the good sense to keep their clocks the same year round.  As well as several U.S. territories:

American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands

The sun has managed its own schedule for several billion years. Leave Mother Nature alone!