Daylight Saving Time (DST) has a long and complicated history in the United States, dating back to the early 20th century. Here is a brief overview of the key milestones in the history of DST in the US:
- 1918: The United States officially adopted DST during World War I as a way to save energy by extending daylight hours during the summer. However, DST was controversial and was not uniformly implemented across the country.
- 1942: During World War II, the US government mandated year-round DST as a way to conserve resources for the war effort. This practice, called “War Time,” lasted until 1945.
- 1966: The Uniform Time Act was passed, which established a standardized system for DST across the country. Under this law, DST began on the last Sunday in April and ended on the last Sunday in October.
- 1974: In response to the energy crisis of the 1970s, President Nixon signed the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act, which extended DST for an additional two months each year.
- 1986: The start date of DST was moved up to the first Sunday in April under the Energy Policy Act of 1986.
- 2007: The start date of DST was moved up again to the second Sunday in March, and the end date was moved back to the first Sunday in November, under the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Since then, there have been various debates and proposals regarding the usefulness and effectiveness of DST, and some states have opted out of the practice altogether. As of 2021, Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe DST, while the rest of the country does.
Finally, in 2022, the U.S. Senate is scheduled to get approve the bill to make daylight saving time permanent. Therefore, today, March 12, 2023, is supposed to be the last day that the clock will change and it will not get adjusted ever again. However, it seems that something happened and the bill didn’t successfully get approved on time after-all. Hence recent Day-light Savings Time change this November 5, 2023.
