The History of Day Light Savings
Do you ever question authority, habits or practices? Why does green mean go and a smile means you're happy? Who made those observations and deemed them to be what they are known for today? The same with Daylight Savings Time. Where did that originate and more to the point, why?
Why is it necessary for some Americans and some Canadians to lose a hour and other Americans to gain a hour of sleep once a year? Well whether you like it or you don't like it, some historians say you can thank Ben Franklin. He wanted to save on the candle wax being melted.
Other historians will tell you that Daylight Savings Time was created to save energy during World War II in Europe. Then soon the idea of saving energy in that manner spread to the United States. Then there are those who say that Daylight Savings Time was set up for the farmers. During the summer months when the weather is at its best, they have more daylight hours to harvest their crops.
However, not all of the United States is included in this ritual. Up until 2006, only part of Indiana. Arizona and Hawaii do not participate. Those of us who question authority, habits and practices want to know if the Daylight Savings Time really save us energy?
In the beginning, probably so. Now though, our world uses more energy in the evening than those before us. We are in world today where we can do almost anything at any time. Electricity is more readily available for most of the world. This means there is less candles being burned (sorry Ben) and we even have headlights on those huge pieces of farming implements.
Today, we are more likely to examine and question things more than we ever did in the past. Simply because “that's the way its always been done” isn't necessarily enough of a reason for us. Daylight Savings Time practice may not make as much sense as it once did and perhaps, it should be further examined. One thing is for sure though, for now, during the summer, there are more hours in the day to get outside and enjoy a game of Rollors with family and friends!