When did the time change originate? Why do we still do it?

[LizzieMaine]

I actually don't mind DST coming as early as it now does. It's just in time to keep my seasonal depression from getting out of control. I really really hate going to work in the dark, and starting this week I don't have to.

 

[Flicka]

Because England is much closer to the Arctic Circle than North Carolina, and because they observed double daylight saving time, the sun set in England much later than my uncle had ever seen it set. In fact, he said it didn't get pitch dark until almost 11:00 PM. This caused dear Uncle Jule much consternation. He was dating a proper, young English lady but couldn't take her "parking" because she had to be home by ten...an hour before it got dark.

AF

Try living in Sweden... Here in Stockholm it never gets pitch black in June; just a sort of dusky blue for an hour or two around 1 am. In northern Sweden, it's pretty much daylight 24/7. In the winter, the sun doesn't rise at all in northern Sweden. Unfortunately, it's also far, far too cold to go 'parking' unless you bring a duvet.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Unfortunately, it's also far, far too cold to go 'parking' unless you bring a duvet.

And here, summers are too warm for parking. Your choice is to leave the windows up and roast in your steamy car...or roll the windows down and suffer multiple insect bites in secret little places where insects really should not bite.

AF

 

[Flicka]

And here, summers are too warm for parking. Your choice is to leave the windows up and roast in your steamy car...or roll the windows down and suffer multiple insect bites in secret little places where insects really should not bite.

Much more romantic with a duvet than mosquitos!

 

[Edward]

I actually don't mind DST coming as early as it now does. It's just in time to keep my seasonal depression from getting out of control. I really really hate going to work in the dark, and starting this week I don't have to.

Mn. I fear the Summer... my depressive turns always get worse then.

Try living in Sweden... Here in Stockholm it never gets pitch black in June; just a sort of dusky blue for an hour or two around 1 am. In northern Sweden, it's pretty much daylight 24/7. In the winter, the sun doesn't rise at all in northern Sweden. Unfortunately, it's also far, far too cold to go 'parking' unless you bring a duvet.

I don't know how I'd cope with that - I think it would mess with my head pretty quickly. I'd like to try the other end, though - the full-dark.

Much more romantic with a duvet than mosquitos!

Uhm.... If I'm understanding the term correctly, over here it has been supplanted by "dogging", which is anything but romantic!

 

[KayEn78]

It started in the US during World War I as a way of saving coal -- and was highly unpopular. It was then repealed as a Federal law after the war, but was made a local option -- it continued on a confusing state-by-state or city-by-city basis from then until War Time was imposed in 1942. After the war it went back to local option, and didn't become Federal law again until 1966. The rationale this time was simply one of standardization -- having multiple time zones within the regular time zones wrought havoc on transportation company schedules and the broadcasting industry.

Some will remember we went on emergency extended DST for most of 1974 and part of 1975 due to the Energy Crisis. Schoolchildren walked to school in the dark, and many districts issued reflector tape for them to stick to the back of their coats. DST in February was considered a rather stupid idea by most, since there was so little D to S.

I had no idea DST originated during the First World War. Make sense though. Often, when I listen to Old Time Radio shows that were broadcast during WWII, you'll hear the announcer say, "Tune in next week (and they'll give the time) and then say, "Eastern War Time." I always wondered what they meant by that and just thought it had something to do with DST, only since it was during wartime, they simply called Eastern War Time.

-Kristi

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Day light savings=no interest in my bank from it

 

[Smithy]

I had no idea that modern DST originated in my homeland, New Zealand. You learn something new everyday! It makes sense back home where farming is the biggest part of the economy.

And hello Flicka. I know what you mean about scandinavian summer and winter as I have lived in Norway twice, the first time inside the Arctic Circle where we had 3 weeks of polar night over the middle of winter. Didn't bother me in the slightest, it was just a little hard to get out of bed to go to work in the morning. On the other side of the coin we had the midnight sun over the middle of summer. I can remember sailing round the Lofoten Islands at 2am in the morning with the sun kissing the horizon and a fishing line trailing in the sea - beautiful

 

[randooch]

My years in Arizona were blissful in the absence of this questionable ritual.

Any (otherwise competent) candidate who would vow to abolish the DST system would get my attention. I'm always surprised that more people don't raise hell about it. The whole energy use argument falls to pieces depending on where and how you live.

 

[Atticus Finch]

I think that people who have more flexibility in their daily schedules perhaps benefit little from DST. For example, many retired people I know don't much care for it. My mother, who lives in an assisted living home, tells me that she doesn't care for it. A school teacher friend, who doesn't work in the summer, agrees with my Mom. But if you have a job that requires you to be at work at 8:00AM and keeps you there until 5 or 6:00PM...DST can be a blessing. By allowing you to come home from work and mow the grass, weed the garden, stain the deck or attend to a thousand other domestic projects, Daylight Saving Time can give you back your weekends. Come to think of it...maybe if I just hired a full-time groundskeeper....

AF

 

[Edward]

Probably does depend on your schedule, though the way it seems to work here is I can get to work when it's light in the Winter, but I'm never home before dark (by December Solstice it's dark well before four here). I'd more than happily trade off the light in the morning against it being lighter later in the day, for longer.

 

[Touchofevil]

In the winter it is dark when I leave for work and when I leave for home and in the spring light when I leave for work and for home. I enjoy both. In the spring the extra daylight in the evening is nice because it makes me feel as though I have an evening. And the extra daylight makes it easier to get things done after work, especially yardwork.

 

[Edward]

I like the change of the seasons - wouldn't want it any other way. Just wish we could appreciate it more fully without this messing the clocks around nonsense!