In historical times, until the clock took sole control over our lives, humanity in all parts of the world lived their daily lives in the rhythm of nature according to what is now known as winter time. Those who did not rest with the Sun were either peeping in the dark or taking on the costs of candles and oil lamps. Later, the development of the manufacturing industry overshadowed the old order.
Benjamin Franklin was one of the first to suggest in 1784 that in order to make maximum use of natural light, it would be worthwhile to adapt our daily rhythm to the movement of the Sun. In the summer semester, our star rises earlier and sets later, so if we turn the clock forward every summer semester, we gain one more hour of light each evening – a lot of candles could be saved this way. This has resulted in the alternation of winter and summer time, and we switch to the latter at the end of March:
on Sunday, March 31, at 2 a.m., we will move clocks forward by one hour to 3 o’clock.
Daylight saving time is always valid on the last Sunday of March, while on the last Sunday of October (this year it will be October 27) we roll the pointer back to the “original” state. Of course, Franklin’s proposal did not suddenly become a worldwide practice. The idea, which popped up now and then for the next century and a half, fell on deaf ears, until the serious shortage of raw materials in World War I broke the ice: the great powers at war introduced the method one after the other, with Germany opening the line in 1916.
However, it was not used in peacetime, the new World War brought it back again, and the XX. in the second half of the century it became a common practice almost all over the world. Today, however, we would get rid of it, playing with natural light is no longer beneficial for the modern economy, but it can put a significant strain on the human body – only temporarily, of course.
In 2019, the European Union decided to introduce winter and summer time – the member states had to reach an agreement within two years on which time the EU would make final. However, no compromise has been reached since then, so for the time being, the pointers are moved twice a year: one forward and then one backward.
(24.hu)
