At the end of March (this year the 25th) most of the countries in Europe will turn the clock forward for one hour. It means that most of the Europeans will sleep one hour less than used to. It is done to make better use of the sunlight – we borrow an hour of daylight from the morning and move it to the evening. If your daily routine includes morning jog or other outdoor activity, don’t forget to be visible during the activity. It won’t be that light as it has been lately.
Who, when and why invented daylight saving idea?
An American inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin was the first one to come up with the daylight saving idea in 1784 while in Paris. He suggested that if people got up earlier when it’s lighter, they would save on candles.
First time the clocks were turned ahead by one hour in 1916 in the German Empire and Austria. The argument was to minimize the use of artificial lighting to save fuel for the military needs. The same year Sweden, Norway, Denmark, UK, Belgium, France, Netherlands started the daylight saving practice as well. In the United States it became a standard in 1966.
Daylight Saving Time nowadays
Today 71 country around the world recognizes Daylight Saving Time but not on the same schedule. In Europe, Daylight Saving Time is defined from the last Sunday in March till the first Sunday in October. In the southern hemisphere of Earth, where the summer begins in December, Daylight Saving Time is recognized from December till March.
Daylight saving is most beneficial to those who live closer to the Earth poles, where daylight hours are way longer in the summer than in the winter. Meanwhile in locations closer to the equator, daylight hours and night time hours are nearly the same length throughout the year. That’s why many equatorial countries do not participate in Daylight Saving Time.
Take a look at the World map to see which countries participate in the Daylight Saving Time.
