Daylight Saving Time or Daylight Savings Time-6 Facts You Don't Know
By Michelle Carr-Crowe, Silicon Valley, Calif. guide and Cupertino real estate agent
So when you "fall back" tonight at 2:00 a.m. on November 4, 2012, and put your clocks back one hour, Daylight Saving Time officially ends. But how much do you really know about DST? Test your knowledge to see if you know these 6 facts about Daylight Saving Time.
1) True or False? The correct name is “Daylight Saving Time” not “Daylight Savings Time?”
2) The American who first proposed a form of daylight saving time was:
a) George W. Bush
b) Franklin D. Roosevelt
c) George Bush
d) Benjamin Franklin
3) The first year for Daylight Saving Time was:
a) 1918
b) 2005
c) 1784
d) 1890
4) True or False: Heart attacks decrease when Daylight Saving Time starts.
5) Which state most recently adopted Daylight Saving Time?
a) Ohio
b) Arizona
c) Hawaii
d) Indiana
6) Which U.S. states do NOT observe Daylight Saving Time?
a) Hawaii & Alaska
b) Indiana & Hawaiii
c) Hawaii & Arizona
d) Arizona & Oklahoma
The first American to propose a form of daylight saving was Benjamin Franklin in 1784. Franklin noticed people burned candles late at night yet slept past sunrise in the summer. Franklin’s famous quote: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” may have originated with this observation.
The purpose of Daylight Saving Time was to increase energy efficiency by better utilizing the amount of sun time when most people are awake and active. DST decreases the amount of sunlight in the morning and increases it in the evening. Studies have shown this reduces power usage, traffic accidents and crime.
DST was first used in 1918 and gained in popularity during World War I, when it was promoted as a method of conserving energy. However, there was no “standard” observation of DST.Cities, counties and states decided on whether they wanted to change their clocks back and forth to accommodate DST.
The U.S. Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, which finally set the start and end dates of Standard Time. However, Daylight Saving Time did not become mandatory. Each state retained the power to choose to remain on Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time
Arizona and Hawaii are always on Standard Time. The most recent state to adopt Daylight Saving Time was Indiana in 2006.
There's a spike in heart attacks during the first week of daylight saving time, according to a study published in 2008. Subsequently, when DST ends in the fall, the number of heart attacks drops slightly.
Under President George W. Bush, the U.S. Congress passed legislation extending DST by one month back in 2005. Daylight Saving Time now begins at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March. It ends on the first Sunday in November.
Remember to set your clocks back one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 4, 2012.
ANSWERS:
1) False
2) D
3) A
4) False
5) D
6) C
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