History of Daylight Saving Time

Early Proposals (1784–1907)

Benjamin Franklin, while serving as American envoy to France, wrote a satirical letter to the Journal de Paris in 1784 suggesting that Parisians could save money on candles by waking earlier. He did not propose changing clocks.

The first serious proposals came over a century later. In 1895, New Zealand entomologist George Hudson proposed a two-hour seasonal time shift to the Wellington Philosophical Society. He wanted more after-work daylight for collecting insects. The idea was not adopted.

In 1907, British builder William Willett independently published a pamphlet called "The Waste of Daylight," proposing that clocks be advanced by 80 minutes in four weekly steps during April and reversed in September. He campaigned for the idea until his death in 1915, one year before Britain adopted a simpler version.

Wartime Adoption (1916–1945)

Germany and Austria-Hungary became the first countries to implement DST on April 30, 1916, during World War I. The goal was to conserve coal for the war effort by reducing the need for artificial lighting in the evening.

Britain followed weeks later, and most of the warring nations adopted similar measures. The United States adopted DST in 1918 as part of the Standard Time Act, but it was deeply unpopular — particularly with farmers, whose schedules are governed by sunlight, not clocks — and was repealed in 1919 after the war ended.

During World War II, the US reinstated DST as "War Time" from February 1942 until September 1945, running it year-round. Britain used "Double Summer Time" (UTC+2) during summer months for additional savings.

Post-War Confusion and Standardization

After WWII, DST observance in the US became a patchwork. States, counties, and even cities could decide independently whether to observe it. This created confusion for transportation, broadcasting, and interstate commerce.

Congress passed the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which standardized DST across the country: it would run from the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. States could exempt themselves entirely (as Arizona and Hawaii did), but could not adopt non-standard dates.

Modern Era (1970s–2000s)

The 1973 oil crisis led the US to temporarily extend DST to a year-round trial in 1974. The experiment was unpopular — parents objected to children going to school in the dark — and standard DST returned in 1975. This early trial is a key reference point in the permanent DST vs. standard time debate.

In 1986, the US moved the start of DST from the last Sunday in April to the first Sunday in April. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended it further: starting in 2007, DST runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, adding about four weeks. This is still the current US schedule.

The European Union standardized summer time in 1996 under Directive 2000/84/EC, setting the period from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October for all member states. See current European DST dates.

Recent Changes and Ongoing Debates

Russia moved to permanent summer time in 2011, then switched to permanent standard time in 2014 after public dissatisfaction with dark winter mornings. Russia's experience is often cited in the debate over DST's benefits and drawbacks.

Turkey adopted permanent summer time (UTC+3) in 2016 and has remained on it since.

Mexico abolished DST for most of the country in October 2022. Only municipalities along the US border continue to follow the US DST schedule for practical coordination.

In 2018, the European Commission proposed allowing member states to choose between permanent standard time and permanent summer time. The European Parliament voted in favor in 2019, but the Council of the EU has not reached agreement and the proposal has stalled indefinitely.

In the US, the Sunshine Protection Act passed the Senate unanimously in March 2022, proposing permanent DST starting in November 2023. The House did not vote on it, and it expired at the end of the congressional session. Reintroduced versions have not advanced. For the current schedule, see DST 2026.

Timeline

Last reviewed: March 2026. Data sources: official government publications and worldwideclock.com.