The winter has been very gracious to us. We were able to avoid blizzards, shoveling cars out of parking spots, and snow boots. Spring is emerging rapidly, and we have come back our tradition of pushing the clocks back.
Daylight Savings Time originated in Thunder Bay, Canada. On July 1st of 1908, what was formerly known as Port Arthur, the residents of the area pushed their clocks forward an hour. The idea was invented by New Zealand scientist George Vernon Hudson who proposed a “2-hour shift forward in October and a 2-hour shift back in March” in 1895. The idea did not take hold at the time until it was brought back up by British builder William Willet in 1905. Willet suggested that we set the clocks ahead 20 minutes on each Sunday in April and September. “Willett’s Daylight-Saving plan caught the attention of Robert Pearce, a British Member of Parliament, and he introduced a bill to the House of Commons in February 1908”. Many farmers initially opposed this bill because it was hard for them to get their food to the market in the morning.
During World War 2, DST became permanent as a way to conserve fuel in different time zones. The economic benefit also played in support of businesses looking accrue more sales during extended hours; especially when it came to tourist. Another positive benefit is to boost workers morale with an extra hour of sunlight. Ideally more sun does something for people’s energy in general. It has also been noted to have lowered the crime rate because of the night hours being shortened. A noted downfall has been sleep deprivation related incidents, and other noted medical issues. Despite some of these setbacks, when March comes around there is a level of excitement that alerts people that Spring is coming soon. Circling back to the point made at the top of this paragraph, longer hours equal people being outdoors which equals people spending more money.
Personally, I’m excited to experience brighter weather after such a cloudy winter. However, that doesn’t mean the grind stops but it will undoubtedly affect your body so make sure to take it easy. Make sure you get your favorite seasonal blend to help you manage through the change in hours!
References:
Leave a comment