Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time - Daylight saving time (DST) is the practice of advancing clocks so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn.

The modern idea of daylight saving was first proposed in 1895 by George Vernon Hudson, and it was first implemented during World War I. Although most of the United States used DST throughout the 1950s and 1960s, DST use expanded following the 1970s energy crisis and has generally remained in use in North America and Europe since that time.

DST clock shifts present other challenges. They complicate timekeeping, and can disrupt meetings, travel, billing, record-keeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns. Software can often adjust computer clocks automatically, but this can be limited and error-prone, particularly when DST protocols are changed.

Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday at midnight. Do not neglect to set your clocks ahead an hour—either prior to retiring Saturday night or upon awakening Sunday morning. Most computers, tablets, smartphones, and other electronic devices automatically adjust to DST.