Daylight Saving Time - Birth of a Burden
In 1918, in order to conserve resources
for the war effort, Congress placed the country on Daylight Saving Time
for the remainder of WW I. It was observed for seven months in 1918
and 1919. The law, however, proved so unpopular that the law was later
repealed.
When the country went to war again, Congress reinstated
Daylight Saving Time on February 2, 1942. Time in the U.S. was advanced
one hour to save energy. From 1945 to 1966, there was no federal law
about Daylight Saving Time. So, states and localities were free to observe
Daylight Saving Time or not. By 1966, some 100 million Americans were
observing Daylight Saving Time through their own local laws and customs.
Congress decided to step in and end the confusion and establish one
pattern across the country. The
Uniform Time Act of 1966 (15 U.S. Code Section 260a) created Daylight
Saving Time to begin on the last Sunday of April and to end on the last
Sunday of October. Any area that wanted to be exempt from Daylight Saving
Time could do so by passing a local ordinance. The law was amended in
1986 to begin Daylight Saving Time on the first Sunday in April.
Read more on the
NIST site.
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