Linda Andrews

First, it isn’t savings. The ‘s’ has apparently been banned. Second, while there used to be a bank called Daylight Savings Bank. No one could ever make withdrawals. And lastly, the US congress can’t even get the time balance to adjust correctly as legally the time change forward is at 0159 to 0300 and the time back at 0300 is to 0200.

Yep, those greedy congressman are stealing time from us innocent citizens.

Perhaps, they were combining the stores in the even of nuclear winter, we had stockpiled sunlight.

Of course, if so, it would be in a bunker somewhere where only they and their rich masters could access it.

But I digress.

Contrary to popular opinion (at least in the US), Benjamin Franklin didn’t invent Daylight Saving Time. He did write a satire about daylight and the French, but that was about it. Time hadn’t actually been standardized by then. It took the railroads another 100 years to establish time zones.

So were did the idea come from? Many sites credit (wait for it) a New Zealander with the invention. He apparently wanted more time in the evenings. He published 2 papers on the idea then it was forgotten until roughly 1909 when an Englishman brought it up again.

It was, of course, poo-pooed.

Then came a little thing called World War I (or the European War). Germany adopted it first in 1916 to save coal for the war effort. Belgium followed suit, because, well, Germany occupied it. Then the British and French followed.

The US waited until 1918. And people hated it. Especially the bars as they had to close and hour early. So, in 1919, the law was repealed.

Early in its use, the switching of time during the summer months did save money as most energy was used in the evening hours.

And so during World War II, President Roosevelt switched the US to War Time. Then after the war, those states who chose could switch to peace time. Imagine 48 states all doing their own thing. And in some cases towns in the various states changing while their neighbors didn’t.

So, enter the ever paternal congress who mandated the changes and standardized everyone, except Arizona who doesn’t observe it (The Navajo nation does, but the Hopi nation surrounded by the Navajos do not—don’t ask that would be a very long post). Neither does Hawaii as they are close to the equator and are quite happy with their daylight as it is.

The days of the beginning and ending of DST has changed many times since its incarnation (the latest thanks to the folks who bring us Halloween candy) and no one can really decide if there is any saving any more.