On Sunday, November 3rd millions of Americans turn their clocks back 1 hour and are just now seeing the difference it makes in the daytime length. But why do Americans do this every year?
Cat Bishir, an AP U.S. History teacher here at Neuqua, has the answers. Daylight savings time originally started in Germany during World War 1 and when different countries heard about it, they wanted in.
“During Wartime, they shifted everything an hour earlier so that they would be able to use more daylight during the winter to make war [materials] and would be able to use their time more wisely,” Bishir said.
According to Bishir, after Germany adopted Daylight Savings, the United States decided as a war measure also to embrace it, and the country started it right away. The United States kept it until the war was over in 1918, then stopped. The country repeated this process in World War 2 just as a war measure, and it was kept year-round. During World War 2, the time didn’t switch back and forth like the modern system does.
“It only became popular again in the 1960s and ’70s when we were having all these energy issues,” Bishir said. “Then the U.S. put in place Daylight Savings time, which we now know today.”
Daylight Savings now goes for about 8 months out of the year, which falls back in late October or early November, and then springs forward in the Spring around March or April. Since the start of Daylight Savings, there has been a rule for states that they either have to completely comply or opt out. Although most states follow it, others, such as Arizona and Hawaii, opt out. In the states that do practice this time change, there have been reports that it doesn’t save any energy, Bishir said.
Additionally, Daylight Savings produces a negligible amount of energy. Bishir added, it also “upsets people because of something in our brains called Circadian Rhythm.”
The Circadian Rhythm keeps track of when humans wake up and go to sleep, and it does get messed up, even after fallback when people gain an hour of sleep. It get worse in the spring because of the extra hour lost. Studies have shown there have been more heart attacks, health problems and car accidents in the weeks following the spring forward, Bishir said.
Daylight Savings time is also commonly associated with farmers, which is ironic because farmers don’t actually like Daylight Savings.
“It cuts down on the amount of time that they have in the morning to harvest,” Bishir said.
Another figure that is also commonly associated with farmers, and therefore Daylight Savings, is Benjamin Franklin; he was known for writing a book called “Poor Richards Almanac.”
“Poor Richards Almanac was kind of like a digest of poetry and calenders and ideas about when farmers should plant and harvest,” Bishir said. “Since Daylight Savings time does take place around the harvest season it has become associated with farmers … just by chance.”
As for Bishir’s opinion on Daylight Savings, her thoughts are not kept in the darkness. “I would like to lobby to end daylight savings time,” she said. “I don’t think it saves us anything, and I think the cost is just too high.”
