Daylight Saving Starts March 11, 2018, But Where Did It Come From?

Apparently there are several theories of how and why we started changing our clocks for daylight saving. Many people think it originated to allow children to help their families with farm work before having to go to school for the day. Another popular theory is that it was suggested by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 when he wrote a letter to the Journal of Paris advocating that if people woke up with the sun it would result in saving energy and resources in the need for candles.

According to National Geographic and David Prerau, author of Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time, the idea of the modern concept of daylight saving was actually derived from George Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand. In 1895 Mr. Hudson proposed a 2 hour time shift with the intention of having more sunlight after his day job to go bug hunting in the summer months.

The British Broadcasting Corporation attributes the modern day concept of daylight saving to British builder William Willett. Mr. Willett was horseback riding on a summer morning in 1905 and noticed how many curtains were drawn against the sunlight. His solution was to move the clocks forward before summer began. In 1907, Mr. Willett published a pamphlet called “Waste of Daylight” suggesting clocks be turned forward by 4 weekly twenty minute increments in April and reversing the same way in September. British politicians in favor of Willett’s suggestion proposed a Daylight Saving Bill, however it was defeated in 1909.

Author Prerau explains that the idea actually caught on during World War I when the German government started looking for ways to conserve energy. Because coal power was so predominant at that time, daylight saving really did result in saving energy. Germany adopted the system and soon after the United States, as well as nearly every other country fighting in the war began using the time change.

Although Benjamin Franklin may have identified the need for and the benefits of adjusting clocks, it appears we can thank George Hudson and William Willett for our modern day concept of daylight saving.