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History of Daylight Saving Time
Why do we change the clocks to Summer Time?
The idea of a better use of daylight originates with Benjamin Franklin, one
of America's Founding Fathers.
Benjamin Franklin - 18th Century
Benjamin Franklin in a letter to the editors of the Journal of Paris
in 1784 wrote:
 "I
was the other evening in a grand company, where the new lamp of
Messrs. Quinquet and Lange was introduced, and much admired
for its splendour; but a general inquiry was made, whether the
oil it consumed was not in proportion to the light it afforded, in
which case there would be no saving in the use of it. No one
present could satisfy us in that point, which all agreed ought to be
known, it being a very desirable thing to lessen, if possible, the
expense of lighting our apartments, when every other article of
family expense was so much augmented.
I was pleased to see this general concern for economy, for I love
economy exceedingly.
I went home, and to bed, three or four hours after midnight, with my
head full of the subject. An accidental sudden noise waked me about
six in the morning, when I was surprised to find my room filled with
light; and I imagined at first, that a number of those lamps had
been brought into it; but, rubbing my eyes, I perceived the light
came in at the windows. I got up and looked out to see what might be
the occasion of it, when I saw the sun just rising above the
horizon, from whence he poured his rays plentifully into my chamber,
my domestic having negligently omitted, the preceding evening, to
close the shutters.
I looked at my watch, which goes very well, and found that it was
but six o'clock; and still thinking it something extraordinary that
the sun should rise so early, I looked into the almanac, where I
found it to be the hour given for his rising on that day. I looked
forward, too, and found he was to rise still earlier every day till
towards the end of June; and that at no time in the year he retarded
his rising so long as till eight o'clock. Your readers, who with me
have never seen any signs of sunshine before noon"...
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He calculated that the citizens of Paris, France were burning 127 million
candles per year unnecessarily each year.
Benjamin Franklin proposed:
- A tax: "on every window that is provided with shutters to keep out
the light of the sun".
- Energy rationing: "Let guards be placed in the shops of the wax and
tallow chandlers and no family be permitted to be supplied with more than
one pound of candles per week."
- A curfew after dark: "Let guards also be posted to stop all the
coaches that would pass the streets after sunset, except those of
physicians, surgeons, and midwives."
- Community alarm clocks: "Every morning, as soon as the sun rises, let
all the bells in every church be set ringing; and if that is not
sufficient?, let cannon be fired in every street, to wake the sluggards
effectually, and make them open their eyes to see their true interest."
The ideas lie dormant for 120 years.. (Continue)
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Daylight Saving Time
in USA & Canada:
Sunday 14 March 2010 -
Sunday 7 November 2010
Europe / UK clocks on
Summer Time / Daylight Saving Time:
Sunday 28 March 2010 01:00 GMT -
Sunday 31 October 2010
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Atlantic Time (Canada),
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Time (EST),
Central Time (CST),
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Pacific Time (PST),
Alaska Time (AKST),
Hawaii Time (HST),
Daylight
Saving Time (DST)
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Western European Time (WET),
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Remember:
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When you change
your
clocks
Change
your
Fire Alarm
batteries!
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