Set Your Clocks! Daylight Saving Time Starts March 9
Language
Reading Level
Listen to Article
Alignment
On March 9, 2025, most Americans will begin Daylight Saving Time (DST) by moving their clocks ahead an hour. The time change will result in a loss of an hour of sleep or free time on Sunday. However, it will allow for longer days during the upcoming spring and summer months.
Benjamin Franklin was the first to introduce the basic idea of DST in 1784. He suggested that people change their sleep schedules to save money on candles. But he was not serious. In the ensuing years, several people tried to persuade their governments to change the clocks to add daylight. But none succeeded.
DST finally gained traction after Germany adopted it in 1916 to conserve coal during World War I. The US and Britain followed shortly after. All the countries reverted to Standard Time once the war ended, only to reinstate DST during World War II.
US officials ended the practice nationally when World War II ended in 1945. However, states and districts were allowed to continue observing DST. They could also choose their own start and end dates. This led to widespread confusion. By 1965, the state of Iowa alone had 23 pairs of DST start and end dates.
The Uniform Time Act of 1966 ended the chaos by setting the same start and end DST dates across the US. However, the law allowed states to opt out. Hawaii, most of Arizona, and the US territories — American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands — chose not to observe DST.
Initially, DST started on the last Sunday in April and ended on the last Sunday in October. But in 1986, President Ronald Reagan moved the start date to the first Sunday in April. Then, in 2005, President George W. Bush changed the "spring forward" date to the second Sunday in March and the "fall back" date to the first Sunday in November.
Today, around 70 countries observe DST, but their start and end dates vary. Japan, India, and China are the only major industrialized nations that do not change their clocks. Despite its global use, DST is not very popular. Many people believe the loss of an hour causes sleep deprivation and fatigue. This leads to lower productivity and more traffic and workplace accidents.
Over the years, many US states have passed resolutions to stop the biannual time changes. However, Congress has not passed any of the bills. In 2019, the European Parliament voted to stop the seasonal clock changes. But the law has yet to take effect.
For those stuck with DST, experts suggest waking up an hour or two earlier on the Friday and Saturday prior to the time change. This will help the body adjust. Going to bed an hour earlier on Saturday will also ease the transition.
Happy Spring Forward!
Resources: Wikipedia.org, Tineanddate.com, CNBC.com
Get the Workbook for this article!
Workbook contains: Article, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking Questions, Vocabulary in Context (+ answers), Multiple Choice Quiz (+ answers), Parts of Speech Quiz (+ answers), Vocabulary Game (+ answers)Cite Article
Learn Keywords in this Article
10 Comments
gamergeekabout 16 hoursI Live In Sri Lanka...There Are No Seasons... It's ALWAYS Hot...(It take some time getting used to the heat being from America)
bookgirlschool3 daysI don't prefer daylight savings.
gayatri3 daysi hate dst
sophiakrissy63 daysI can't wait for spring!
skyza3 daysIt’s already spring
aaquino3 dayshappy daylight savings time
eskewfin3 daysoh no now I have to wake up really early
porg133 daysewww I do dont lik dayelighte savinvigs timees!!
summers3 daysthis article is cool and interesting.
iamthegrinch3 daysI love spring forawed !!!
