DST was first introduced in Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada in 1908. By 1914 many cities in Canada had implemented DST. The rational for Daylight Savings was used to save energy and make better use of daylight. By 1914 Germany became the first country to introduce DST to minimize the use of artificial light in order to save fuel for the war effort during WWI.
Daylight Savings Time in the United States was called “Fast Time” first introduced in 1918 when Woodrow Wilson signed it into law to support the war effort during WWI. From 1945 to 1966 there were no uniform rules for DST in the US and it caused widespread confusion especially for trains, buses, and the broadcasting industry. As a result, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 was established by congress. It stated that DST would begin on the last Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday of October. However, states still had the ability too exempt from DST by passing a state ordinance.
After the energy crisis was over in 1979, the DST schedule in the US was revised several times through out the years. From 1987 to 2006 the country observed DST for about seven months each year. The current schedule was introduced in 2007 and follows the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which extended the period by about one month. Today DST starts on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
Many of the reasons that DST was established are still viable today. Without DST, a portion of the day’s sunlight during summer would be lost to people staying in bed. Moving clocks ahead by an hours allows for workplaces, schools and other establishments to remain on their normal schedule without forcing individuals who want to enjoy the early sunlight to wake at too early and hours. This adjustment also presents a longer period of daylight in the evening when people are returning from work and school. This allows for more outdoor leisure time in the evenings. The extended period of sunlight throughout daytime hours also can be beneficial to labors whose jobs take place outside, such as agricultural industries. More daylight should provide greater productivity and a reduction in energy costs.
Daylight Savings Time is now used in over 70 countries worldwide and affect over a billion people each year. Currently a great number of studies conducted in relation to the effect of time shifts on power usage have in fact shown, the reverse outcome of what was intended. Instead of a decrease in energy consumption we see an increase and ironically, in some areas the increase is during the hours that DST is intended to decrease consumption (Kellogg). Saving energy, however, should be the least of people’s worries, as DST also seems to be responsible for the increasing number of health issues. In addition when DST was rescheduled and lengthened in the US, gas use increased by 1%(McCarthy). This figure glaringly presents major flaws in DST. Across-the-board increased in energy spending are a clear indicator of ineffectiveness of DST as an energy saving measure. Perhaps the most pressing issue surrounding human health and DST is disrupting the bodies’ natural clock. This roughly 24-hour natural cycle, known as Circadian Rhythm, is responsible for determining physiological and biochemical processes in human beings. DST forces a shift in the natural timing (Kantermann). The time it takes to adjust to DST’s new schedule results in a period where sleep times are shorter or not as effective. The inability for the body to recuperate during rest periods can lead to general tiredness, stress, chemical imbalances in the body and even depression. This disruption is not unknown to those in charge of establishing DST. In 2005, after deducing DST to be the main culprit behind certain health complications, the government of Kazakhstan abolished DST all together. Surely it wouldn’t be too hard to deal with a few less hours of sunlight during summer months would it? What do you think about DST?