How did this happen? Do we really get an extra hour of sleep this weekend? Who do we have to thank for this? This is what I found according to my research on Wikipedia, it was back in 1895 when a New Zealander named George Hudson proposed the idea of daylight-saving time (DST). The story goes that George was fascinated with entomology. If you don’t know what entomology is, don’t feel bad I had to look it up. George’s interest in bugs led to him valuing after work daylight hours to collect his insects.
However, Hudson isn’t the only one who’s been credited for it. There was an English builder named William Willett who independently from Hudson conceived the idea of Daylight Saving Time in 1905. Willett was an avid golfer who disliked cutting short is golf game at dusk. His solution was to advance the clocks during the summer months. He wrote about this in a 1907 publication named “The Waste of Daylight”.
While others believe that it dates back further to Benjamin Franklin’s 1784 influence with his old English proverb “Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” had something to do with it. Even the Ancient Roman Empire has been cited as being the ones to first adopt a version of DST. It seems as though there are as many theories as to who’s idea it was as there are proponents and critics of DST too. There’re countless arguments from proponents ranging to improved health and safety to less energy usage. While the opposed argue the opposite effect on one’s health with disrupted sleep.
Regardless who Daylight Saving Time is accredited to, the fact is this Sunday here in Indiana we “Fall Back” one hour. I hope you enjoy your extra hour of time however you use it. If you’re interested in saving time, please consider contacting me for an insurance review. Not only can I save you time, but most likely money by finding you the best price for your insurance.