It may seem like it gets earlier and earlier every year, but since 2007 Daylight Saving Time (DST) has begun the second weekend in March.  And that would be this weekend.  At 2:00am on Sunday set your clock to spring forward to 3:00am.

The history of Daylight Saving Time is messy.  It was originally adopted in the U.S. in 1918 in the middle of World War I as a way to conserve energy that would normally be used on lighting.  After the Great War, President Woodrow Wilson wanted to keep DST, but farmers objected because they were losing an hour of daylight in the morning when temperatures were more conducive to working outdoors.  So, it was dropped.

Then, FDR re-instituted DST year-round at the start of World War II.  After the war, cities and states were given the option of keeping DST or abolishing it.  Well, you can imagine the mess that created.  It wasn't until 1966 that the process became standardized.  Congress passed the Uniform Time Act where any state that used DST had to adhere to a protocol of starting it in March and ending it in October.

It's observed in every state of the union except Hawaii and Arizona, and now more states would like to scuttle it, too.  Montana, Nebraska, and Texas all have bills before their legislatures that would abolish the observance of DST. That's because DST was adopted as a way to conserve fuel consumption, and it really doesn't do that at all.  In fact, a study conducted in Indiana in 1998 discovered a slight increase in energy use. When you think about it, the plan really makes no sense for southern states where the extra hour of daylight in the evenings means you just have to run your air conditioner longer which eats up a lot more energy than light bulbs.

Though there may be changes in the coming years to the observance of Daylight Saving Time, just remember to set your clocks forward one hour before you go to bed this Saturday night.  Unless you want to be really late for church.

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