On Sunday, April 3, New Zealanders turned back their clocks by an hour. Here’s how the practice originated, interesting facts about Daylight Saving Time and a few myth busters.

Origin

Benjamin Franklin’s trademark wit is often given credit for the practice of moving clocks backward before the start of winter. In 1784, he wrote a letter to the Journal of Paris expressing his thoughts on resetting the clocks forward by an hour in spring and back during fall. His essay titled An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light, which explored this practice to reduce the usage of candles, was later published in the journal but was overlooked only to be later revisited by Englishman William Willett in 1907. However, the British House of Commons rejected his proposal and it wasn’t until 1916 when the Parliament introduced the British Summer Time. Two years later, President Woodrow Wilson passed Fast Time, as it was known then in the United States, as a law.

Firsts

Daylight saving time was first used in Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada in July 1908. But Germany was the first country to implement the practice nationwide. On April 30, 1916, the clocks were turned an hour ahead.

The first Daylight Saving plan was introduced in the House of Commons in February 1908 by MP Robert Pearce. A year later, a bill was drafted but the proposal was rejected numerous times and was therefore never adopted as a law. In New Zealand, George Hudson first advocated the use of DST but his idea was often ridiculed. In 1909, Parliamentarian Hon. Sir Thomas Sidey raised the issue and presented a Member’s Bill in 1910. His bill went through rounds of criticism and rejections, but Sidey was persistent. He reintroduced the bill every year for 20 years. Although the bill came close to becoming a law twice, once in 1915 and then in 1926, it wasn’t until 1974 when the Time Act was passed.

Exceptions

Although around 70 countries in the world observe DST, nations around the equator do not adjust their clocks twice a year. Countries such as Japan, China and India do not practise DST. In the United States, only 48 states follow DST. Hawaii and most of Arizona are the exceptions. Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and American Samoa also do not follow DST. The same goes for Australia where it is not observed in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Myth busters

DST is for farmers

Unlike popular belief, daylight saving time was never meant to help farmers. They were the ones who opposed the idea as they thought it reduced their productivity.

It helps in energy conservation

Studies have shown that instead of saving energy, more energy is consumed because of DST. While it was initially thought that it saved national electricity usage by one per cent, it was later found out that it led to a one per cent increase.

It is good for business

Changing clocks twice a year costs the US economy billions of dollars a year due to disruptions in the airline and retail industry.

It has health benefits

DST has few health benefits because disrupting sleep patterns can lead to restlessness and a loss in productivity.