Get ready for an emotional adjustment: Tonight, you’re set to lose an hour of sleep.
Daylight saving time commences at 2 a.m. on March 10, 2024, marking the second Sunday of March. Although the morning will linger in darkness a bit longer than usual, this also grants an extra hour of daylight extending into the afternoon and evening.
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, your smartphones and watches will automatically adapt to the time shift. However, for analog watches, time-telling appliances, or traditional clocks scattered around your home, manual adjustments will be necessary.
Explore all the details about the upcoming time change, including the reason behind it – and remember, it’s “daylight saving time,” not “savings,” as commonly mispronounced.
What exactly is daylight saving time? It’s the period between March and November when a majority of Americans reset their clocks by one hour.
In March, we “spring forward,” sacrificing an hour to extend daylight into the evenings. Then, in November, we “fall back,” gaining an hour to enhance daylight in the mornings.
Spring officially arrives on Tuesday, March 19, just nine days following the time change.
Can the time change impact health? According to research from the National Institutes of Health, Americans face various physical health issues due to the biannual time changes, including strokes, heart attacks, accidents, and mood alterations.
Certain scientists propose that the biologic clock may become disoriented during these adjustments. Additionally, other studies have linked the commencement of daylight saving time with a rise in car accidents.
What significance does daylight saving time hold? According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, it involves pushing the start of “daylight” an hour later in the morning and extending it an hour longer into the evening.
The purpose is to synchronize the hour of daylight with the period when most people are actively engaged outside. The concept behind daylight saving time is to conserve energy, as during the warmer months, a significant portion of the population is outdoors rather than at home, resulting in energy savings.
Which states abstain from participating in daylight saving time? Only two states, Arizona and Hawaii, have chosen not to observe it.
In addition to Arizona and Hawaii, several U.S. territories, including Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, also do not participate, as reported by News Agencies.
What is the reason behind Arizona and Hawaii not participating in daylight saving time?
Hawaii chose to opt out of the Uniform Time Act due to its proximity to the equator. With the sun rising and setting around the same time each day throughout the year, implementing daylight saving time becomes unnecessary.
Arizona did experiment with daylight saving time in 1967, but the state’s energy consumption surged. While the majority of the country was conserving fuel during that period, Arizona experienced increased energy usage to manage the additional hour of daylight, as highlighted in an article by Arizona State University.
It’s worth noting that the Navajo Nation, situated in the northeast corner of Arizona, continues to observe daylight saving time.
When does daylight saving time conclude in 2024? Daylight saving time wraps up on Sunday, November 3, marking the first Sunday of November.
And when does daylight saving time kick off in 2025? Daylight saving time will commence again on Sunday, March 9, 2025.
Concerning the term “savings,” the accurate expression is daylight “saving” time, not savings, as clarified by USA Today. Nevertheless, the misnomer “daylight savings time” is widely used, particularly in Australia, Canada, and the United States. Additionally, it is conventionally written in lowercase, not uppercase, according to the Associated Press stylebook.
The origin of daylight saving time is surrounded by various narratives. While farmers have been credited with initiating the practice to maximize daylight hours, they were not necessarily proponents of daylight saving time when it was officially adopted. Benjamin Franklin is also linked to the concept, but this connection is based on a satirical essay he wrote in 1784.
As reported by CBS News, the practice took root in 1916 when Germany implemented daylight saving time to conserve fuel during World War I. The U.S. Embassy in Berlin informed their counterparts in Washington, D.C., explaining that Germany believed adjusting the clocks would result in substantial savings by reducing the need for artificial lighting. Following suit, other European countries adopted the practice, and in 1918, the United States also embraced daylight saving time.
The narrative extends beyond 1918. In 1919, Congress annulled daylight saving time, despite then-President Woodrow Wilson’s attempt to veto the decision. States were granted the autonomy to decide whether to continue the practice. During World War II, the nation adopted year-round daylight saving time. An attempt was made by Congress in 1974 to reinstate it for energy conservation, but the initiative was unsuccessful.
The framework we are familiar with today was established in 1966 with the Uniform Time Act. Originally, daylight saving time started in April and concluded in October, but subsequent revisions established the current schedule of clocks springing forward on the second Sunday in March and falling back on the first Sunday in November.
Is daylight saving time set to come to a permanent end in 2024? Despite nationwide efforts to discontinue the practice, it is unlikely to cease in the upcoming year.
Although the Senate successfully passed a bill in 2022 advocating for the permanence of daylight saving time and the cessation of clock changes, the proposal failed to become law as time expired for a House vote.
A revised version of the bill emerged in March 2023. As of now, this bill is still in committee in both the House and the Senate, representing the stage between sponsorship and a vote on the chamber floor.
In a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted in 2022, nearly 80% of Americans expressed support for altering the existing system. The prospect of permanently shifting an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening resonated with 46% of respondents.
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