Daylight Saving Time for 2018 to End This Sunday
One week after the European Union set its clocks back by one hour to Winter Time for perhaps what was the last time, the United States will return to standard time on Sunday, November 4, at 2 a.m. local time.
In September, European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc announced that the European Union will stop the twice-yearly changing of clocks across the continent in October 2019. EU member states have until April 2019 to decide whether they will permanently remain on Winter Time or Summer Time.
Daylight Saving Time in the United States will resume on March 10, 2019 and end on November 3. In the European Union, Summer Time will start on March 31, 2019.
Both Summer Time and Daylight Saving Time are similar as they are both systems that manage the changing duration of daylight that occurs during the year, with the goal of maximizing daylight hours during the workday. Many credit Benjamin Franklin with the concept, as he said the idea would save an “immense sum” in the cost of candles, although his remarks are now believed to have been somewhat made in jest.
The idea was not broadly adopted until the early twentieth century when Germany became the first European country to introduce it on April 30, 1916 in the middle of the First World War. The move was quickly followed by several other European nations including France and the United Kingdom.
The United States first introduced Daylight Saving Time in 1918 as an energy-saving measure.
By setting clocks ahead by an hour, people typically have more daylight available during the workday. Since, in the spring, the sun rises earlier each day, an individual who typically wakes up at 7 a.m. would have to rise at 6 a.m. to take advantage of the additional daylight. Instead, by moving the clock ahead by one hour, that person can continue to wake at 7 a.m. and enjoy more daylight in the early evening hours.
The result of having fewer daylight hours also leads to an increase in the number of people suffering from seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Indeed, many people during the fall and winter months try to counteract the effects of lost sunlight by using bright artificial light therapy.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)