Dave Krall CFII said:
Many years ago they did do away with it, but soon reinstated it
-for the children-
who were killed or injured because of inattentive automobile drivers the darkness in the morning while the kids were going to school.
It was Benjamin Franklin, who in 1784 while living in Paris, wrote an essay titled "An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light". Despite a possible comic intent, Franklin suggested Parisians could start their days earlier and save money by burning fewer candles at night.
That is exactly what we do when we "spring forward" each April, setting our clocks ahead one hour to effectively move an hour of daylight into the evening. The simple trick saves on energy and gives us longer evenings to enjoy.
A U.S. Department of Transportation poll showed Americans generally liked daylight-savings Time because "there is more light in the evenings / can do more in the evenings." Another study, also revealed the time shift cuts the entire country's electricity usage for lighting and appliances. The country saves about one percent in electricity each day on daylight-savings Time, a small but cumulatively significant amount.
This factor influenced adoption of a new daylight-savings time regime under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 signed into law by President Bush on August 25.
Starting in 2007, daylight-savings-time will be extended by a month, starting on the second Sunday of March and ending on the first Sunday of November at 2 a.m.., a move that is expected to save 100,000 barrels of oil a day by the legislation's supporters.
Originally instituted during World War I by the United States in 1918, it proved so unpopular that it was repealed over President Wilson's veto in 1919.
From February 1942 through September 1945, "War Time" was observed in America but later left to local option whether any clock shifting would occur. It was not until the passage of the Uniform Time Act of 1966, that daylight-savings Time was again adopted, giving state's the option to opt out.
Farmers objected to the practice, saying it would have a negative affect on livestock and airlines protested based on the disruptions to their fight schedules.
Indiana was one of the few states that opted out of observance until the General Assembly, at the urging of Gov. Mitch Daniels, adopted the practice state wide starting in 2006. Daniels said it was a necessary step for Indiana to remain competitive in the modern, mobile economy.
Some technology observers are cautioning programmers that they will once again need to check software code for potential problems in handling calendar adjustments. The extended time shift in 2007 could affect applications and gadgets programmed according to the schedule the U.S. has kept for decades.
(ow! ow! hey! stop throwing stuff!! Ow! no hitting!!!)
