As of this Sunday morning at 2:00 a.m. we are instructed to “spring forward” to 3:00 a.m. in order to join most of our brethren in the recognition of - and abeyance unto – the magical realm of daylight saving(s) time.
Yes, daylight saving time (DST) will be returned to us (or perhaps it remains more apropos to say that it is US who will be returned to IT). As of 2:00 a.m. this Sunday, March 11th, all areas of the United States - except for Hawaii, offshore territories, and most of Arizona - will “spring ahead” and thus effectively lose an hour of time (which, obviously does NOT necessarily equate to a loss of “sleep,” per se; that cyclical norm does not apply between 2 and 3 in the morning to everyone – consider third shift workers who may get a “free” hour of pay).
While research reveals that most of us seem to like it, and few openly complain about it, debate remains as to the logic and effectiveness of DST. The average individual probably fails to ever actually contemplate the “how and why” of moving our clocks forward to allow for an “additional” sixty minutes of daylight, but there is (or was) a method to the madness.
The concept and logic of daylight saving time (DST) is simple. By manually setting clocks forward, we are artificially “adding” an extra period of time before the sun sets. But why do that to begin with? Well, myriad arguments have been put forth. The most obvious (and thus most recognized) rationale is that, with the advent of DST, we are basically given an extra hour of daylight that in turn allows us to be more productive (define “productive” as you will).
The implementation of DST has an interesting history. Ancient civilizations are thought to have adjusted daily schedules to be in better congruence with the patterns of the sun. There are records that indicate observances of twelve hour days, regardless of the actual length of time in which the sun was still up. This practice resulted in the formulation of “hours” that actually varied in exact measure in accordance with the seasons. The Romans kept time with water clocks that had different scales for the respective months and seasons.
Contrary to popular belief, however, there was no serious attempt to establish any semblance of daylight saving(s) time in America until the 1900’s. Yes, Benjamin Franklin did espouse the “early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” admonition (although he “borrowed” the phraseology from an old English proverb), but he never actually proposed any type of official “time adjustment” at all. While Franklin did publish (albeit anonymously) a pamphlet in France advising Parisians to economize on candles by going to bed sooner and subsequently “rising earlier to better take advantage of morning sunlight,” this 1784 satire also proposed the taxation of closed window shutters during daylight hours, the firing of cannons and ringing of church bells at sunrise to arouse the citizenry at daybreak, and the rationing of candles so as to force a more efficient usage of daylight.
So why and how did the concept of daylight saving(s) time develop? There is no simple answer, of course, but “money” or “recreation” can be found as a factor in most explanations regarding the origin of DST.
Succinctly stated, the span of accounts for the modern-day application of daylight saving(s) time entails the inclusion of an entomologist who wanted more time to catch insects; an avid golfer who disliked running out of daylight before he completed a round of play; the need to conserve resources such as candles or coal; the desire to extend shopping hours for retail customers; and a myriad of other “benefits” of having an extra hour of daylight.
In 1895, totally independent of one another, New Zealander George Hudson (entomologist) and British builder William Willett (builder and avid golfer) attempted to persuade their respective nations to adopt the idea of maximizing the advantageous usage of sunlight hours. Neither of them was immediately successful, but their efforts effectively precipitated intermittent discussion of the wisdom of what we now call “daylight saving(s) time” and the concept continued to be debated from that point.
The first recorded modern-day attempt to promulgate the idea into law is credited to Great Britain’s Robert Pearce, a liberal member of the House of Commons. He introduced a bill to that effect on February 12th, 1908, but it did not pass into recognized legislation. William Frost, the mayor of Orillia, Ontario, Canada, was able to enact an edict that effectively established daylight saving(s) time in 1911, but it applied only to his municipality and was in effect only until he left office the following year.
It was not until April 30, 1916 that an entire nation formally adopted the concept of what we now call daylight saving(s) time (DST). Germany, deeply involved in World War I at the time, needed a way to drastically reduce coal consumption. By officially adjusting the daily schedules of its citizens, this economic maneuver was highly successful and subsequently led other nations, including the United States in 1918, to do the same. (It should be noted that when President Woodrow Wilson signed the initial DST proposal into law, it was actually at the behest of the retail merchants – as opposed to the farmers – who cited increased sales with the allowance of an extra hour of light.)
However, after WWI, the logic behind the initial observance of DST was no longer applicable, or at least not as urgent an issue as it was during wartime. With the notable exceptions of Great Britain, Canada, France, and Ireland, nations generally abandoned the idea. Of course, with the onset of World War II in 1939, a replication of conditions similar to those of 1916 occurred and DST was again re-established in various nations. After the 1966 standardization of DST, yet another resurgence of support for it was noted during the energy crisis of the early 1970’s. This situation effectively solidified the continued observance of daylight saving(s) time in the United States, with adjustments occurring in 1987 and again in 2007 (when the current schedule of DST was established).
There are no less than seven “proper” ways to denote DST. Although “daylight saving (no‘s’) time” is considered the “most” correct, adding an “s” to the word “saving” is commonly, if not predominantly, observed. Dictionaries that traditionally show deference to the actual popular usage (as opposed to the original preference), still list the older “no s” version as the preferred one. Merriam-Webster’s American Heritage is a prime example. However, as Richard Meade explains in the English Journal of the American National Council of Teachers of English, the added “s” was already in vogue and thus generally recognized as acceptable as early as 1978, a mere 13 years after the initial passage of the
Other permutations include: daylight-saving time; daylight-savings time; daylight saving; daylight savings; and daylight time. Regardless of which one you prefer, the term is usually considered a generic descriptor and is thus NOT capitalized. However, its initials ARE generally denoted as upper case letters. In a related sense, specific time zones are designated as proper titles and thus require capitalization as well.
Other nations have addressed the denotation issue as well. In Britain, the original term of “daylight saving” (as proposed in 1907 by William Willett, the primary British proponent of the movement at that time) was eventually changed to simply “summertime” - one word, as opposed to “summer time” - for purposes of the pertinent legislation of 1911.
Further, the standard term for UK time, when advanced by one hour, is British Summer Time (BST). British English typically inserts the word “summer” into other time zone names. Thus, Central European Time (CET) becomes Central European Summer Time (CEST).
Likewise, our US time zone terminology is altered when DST is applied and the word “daylight” replaces “standard” as the primary descriptive word. Thus, Eastern Standard Time – a proper title that consequently requires capitalization - (EST) becomes Eastern Daylight (no inclusion of the understood “saving”) Time (EDT).
But does it work? Studies are mixed as to the ultimate cost-benefit “effectiveness” of having that extra hour of light on any given day. Proponents of DST include urban workers, retail business owners, outdoor sports enthusiasts, tourism operators, and any others who benefit in some way from an increased amount of daylight time during certain times of the year (e.g., late spring, summer, and early fall in the northern hemisphere). They contend that DST promotes good health (both physically and psychologically), saves energy, reduces traffic accidents, reduces crime, and is good for business in general. However, the opponents of DST argue that studies of energy savings are inconclusive, that DST increases health risks, and that any benefits are effectively cancelled out by the negative “side effects” and ramifications. Farmers are often known to oppose DST, especially those who tend to dairy cows – the time change negatively affects milk production schedules.
Some interesting findings regarding the day after a time change include the fact that more traffic accidents occur on the Monday following a time change than any other day of the year and that judges give longer sentences during the first week following the “spring forward” (and subsequent loss of an hour of sleep) date.
So, regardless of how one choses to believe it originated and/or articulate and enunciate the terminology, or which side one may identify with in regard to the ongoing debate as to the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of the concept of DST, as a citizen of the United States (unless you happen to reside in Hawaii or particular areas of Arizona), it is probably in your best interest to “spring forward” at some point between Saturday night and Sunday morning in due accordance with the social mandate that we affectionately refer to as “daylight saving(s) time” (or at least something like that).
