“It’s 4:30, how is it already dark outside?” That is the question since November 2nd, when daylight savings started. We all know that daylight savings times happens twice a year when we “spring forward” and “fall back”. In the spring, the clock goes forward one hour. In the fall, it goes back one hour. Many people have different opinions on daylight saving. Some people view it as an extra hour of sleep, while others think that there’s no reason for it to be dark at 5:00 pm. While people’s opinion differs on the topic of daylight savings, how did daylight savings start? This article will help answer that question by describing the purpose as well as some advantages and disadvantages of daylight savings.
Daylight savings began in 1916, as a way to save energy. Germany was one of the first countries to begin using the daylight savings time hours. The United States later adopted the concept in 1918 for the same purpose Germany intended for it. After World War 1 ended, the U.S. stopped using daylight savings but began to use it again after World War 2 to save energy. Daylight Savings was officially established in 1966, named as the “Uniform Time Act”. The act was established nationally, but no states were required to use it. Illinois, however, did decide to instate it, and now we still use it to this day.
Although some people do not like daylight savings time, it has many benefits. Not only does it save energy, but it also has certain economic benefits. For example, with daylight savings, people can be outside longer than usual. This creates more opportunities for local businesses. Surprisingly, daylight savings can even help lower crime rates as criminals can be easily identified in broad daylight.
There are a lot of drawbacks to daylight savings time as well. Agriculturally, it can disrupt livestock, work hours, and much more. Due to the time change, there are shorter working hours for farmers, which could possibly mean less crops. In addition, animals do not automatically adjust to the time change, so it can be difficult for them. Finally, farmers who always use a certain schedule to ensure that the crops are being planted at the right time and that the animals are being fed and taken care of, would be negatively affected by daylight savings. All these changes can affect the national yield of crops because of the constant changes in farming.
Daylight Savings Times has its advantages and disadvantages, but there are always different viewpoints to look at. Daylight savings was originally intended to be an advantage to humans. Despite the benefits that daylight savings bring, some do not like the time changes. What is your opinion on daylight savings time?
