Oh UGH!! I hate changing the clocks. I think we should pick one and just stick with it. It's a bother to think about all the clocks (some inside your TV that may not be automatic like your cell phone and computer)
I always thought DST was started to help farmers have more daylight for working in their fields. But oh no, Ms. Google set me straight!
An Ancient Idea
Although modern DST has only been used for about 100 years, ancient civilizations are known to have engaged in comparable practices thousands of years ago. For example, the Roman water clocks used different scales for different months of the year to adjust the daily schedules to the solar time.
However, the idea did not catch on globally until Germany introduced DST in 1916. Clocks in the German Empire, and its ally Austria, were turned ahead by 1 hour on April 30, 1916—2 years into World War I. The rationale was to minimize the use of artificial lighting to save fuel for the war effort.
Within a few weeks, the idea was followed by the United Kingdom, France, and many other countries. Most of them reverted to standard time after World War I, and it wasn’t until the next World War that DST made its return in most of Europe.
The hardest part is our little people who do not operate on clock time! They get up at their regular time and they are hungry at their regular times. Bedtime tonight will take a lot of encouraging. Mr. First Grade catches the bus at 7:30 am. I'm trying to convince him to let me drive him to school for a week or two until his body adjusts. Nope! He's excited to get up at 5:00 am! (I've politely informed the parents that I am no longer on morning duty ... even 6:00 am is too early for me these days)(this in lieu of tripling their rent ....)
And the week following DST was usually statewide testing at Kate's schools. Good golly! Why can't the schools change the testing dates ... until we get rid of DST.
Oh. Wait! Am I sounding like old curmudgeon????
Every year I can count on at least three of my blogger friends to post about how much they hate the time change and I come along and expound on how much I like it. We're as predictable as clocks and calendars. LOL
ReplyDeleteWhat do you like about it?
ReplyDeleteI like the extra daylight in the evenings after businesses and traffic wind down. I'm not a morning person. I don't care how late or early the sun comes up. The day the time changes in the spring is actually my favorite day of the year.
ReplyDeleteI feel so discombubalated for the first two weeks. And sleeping in til 9-10 seems lazy! But you know what? I am no longer a morning person either. I need 9 hours of sleep and I've done my years of getting up at 6am and rushing around!
DeleteI feel discombobulated for two weeks too--always have. In 1967 Michigan decided to not go with DST--a few years later, it was put into Federal Law or some dang thing. I like DST--I just wish they'd leave it that way.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Just leave the clocks alone!
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