History of Daylight Saving Time

History of Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time was instituted in the United States during World War I in order to save energy for war production by taking advantage of the later hours of daylight between April and October. During World War II the federal government again required the states to observe the time change. Between the wars and after World War II, states and communities chose whether or not to observe Daylight Saving Time. In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which standardized the length of Daylight Saving Time.

Daylight Saving Time is four weeks longer since 2007 due to the passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005. The Act extended Daylight Saving Time by four weeks from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November, with the hope that it would save 10,000 barrels of oil each day through reduced use of power by businesses during daylight hours. Unfortunately, it is exceedingly difficult to determine energy savings from Daylight Saving Time and based on a variety of factors, it is possible that little or no energy is saved by Daylight Saving Time.

Arizona (except some Indian Reservations), Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa have chosen not to observe Daylight Saving Time. This choice does make sense for the areas closer to the equator because the days are more consistent in length throughout the year.

The phrase "Spring forward, Fall back" helps people remember how Daylight Saving Time affects their clocks.

Daylight Saving Time (Summer Time) in some countries (2012/2013)
	DST START 2012	DST END 2012	DST START 2013
NORTH AMERICA
U.S.A. (except Hawaii, Arizona)	11-Mar, 02:00h	04-Nov, 02:00h	10-Mar, 02:00h
Canada (except Saskatchewan)	11-Mar, 02:00h	04-Nov, 02:00h	10-Mar, 02:00h
Greenland (Nuuk)	24-Mar, 22:00h	27-Oct, 23:00h	30-Mar, 22:00h
AUSTRALIA / OCEANIA
Australia (States & Territories below): Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) New South Wales (Sydney) Victoria (Melbourne) Tasmania (Hobart) Australia - South Australia (Adelaide)	01-Apr, 03:00h	07-Oct, 02:00h	07-Apr, 03:00h
New Zealand (Wellington, Auckland)	01-Apr, 03:00h	30-Sep, 02:00h	07-Apr, 03:00h
New Zealand- Chatham Island	01-Apr, 03:45h	30-Sep, 02:45h	07-Apr, 03:45h

(theo worldtimezone.com)