Photo courtesy of zingbeauty


Do you know why we set our clocks ahead an hour in spring, why we "spring forward"?

Daylight Saving Time did not, as many people think, originate with Benjamin Franklin. The letter he published in 1784, suggesting that Parisians economize on candles by rising earlier to use morning sunlight, also included proposals to tax shutters, ration candles, and wake the public by ringing church bells and firing cannons at sunrise The letter was satire and not intended to be taken seriously.


Daylight Saving Time inventor disliked cutting short his golf round at dusk

According to Wikipedia:

The prominent English builder and outdoorsman William Willett conceived DST in 1905 during a pre-breakfast ride, when he observed with dismay how many Londoners slept through a large part of a summer day. An avid golfer, he also disliked cutting short his round at dusk. His solution was to advance the clock during the summer months, a proposal he published two years later. He lobbied unsuccessfully for the proposal until his death in 1915.

Shortly after his death, in 1916, Germany, its World War I allies, and their occupied zones were the first European nations to use Willett's invention, starting April 30, 1916. Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the next year; and the United States adopted it in 1918. Since then, the world has seen many enactments, adjustments, and repeals.

So, because William Willett wanted to extend his game of golf (and following the lead of World War I Germany), I have to get up an hour earlier? Kvetch and grumble!

If you are groggy this morning because of springing forward, I tilt my coffee mug to you in solidarity, empathize with your forced conformity to extra-early-birdness and direct your attention to the following links that may be of interest:

Daylight Saving Time actually raises utility bills
Daylight Saving Time wastes energy, study says
Daylight Saving Time related health concerns
End Daylight Savings Time