Daylight Saving Time History and Impact

Most Americans will set their clocks forward for daylight saving time this weekend, a practice observed by about 70 countries globally. The tradition, spanning over a century, was driven by two world wars, mass confusion, and a desire for more evening sunlight. George Hudson (entomologist) and William Willett were early proponents in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Germany first implemented it during World War I for energy saving, with the United States following suit in both World War I and World War II. After World War II, inconsistent timekeeping in the United States led the United States to pass the Uniform Time Act in 1966, standardizing the practice. Recent confusion in Lebanon, where a last-minute delay to daylight saving time was announced and then reversed, illustrates ongoing challenges. Past attempts in the United States during the 1970s energy crisis to use year-round daylight saving time were unpopular due to dark winter mornings. The Canadian city of Thunder Bay Project was an early adopter, experiencing similar initial confusion.