Daylight Savings

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean. 2/28/23 dwm

 During World War II President Franklin Roosevelt instituted Daylight Savings Time as a way to conserve energy.

 The order meant living with year-round daylight savings time from February 9, 1942 until the end of the war. More light in the late afternoon and early evening helped industrial production.

 It can be a controversial subject. After the war, daylight savings changed after World War II as local areas decided whether to adjust the clock to have more light at the end of the day.

In 1974 daylight savings time was enacted for the winter, but after complaints about children going to school in the dark, led to its repeal the next year.

When we first lived in Indiana, the Hoosier state didn't change their clocks. Living on the west edge of the Eastern Time Zone meant during winter there were times the sun didn't rise until after 8am, meaning it was dark as night for kids waiting for the morning school bus.

The President has said he supports ending the practice of moving clocks ahead one hour in March and falling back an hour in November. Some experts say leaving the clocks alone could improve people's sleep and reduce the risk of mood disorders and heart issues.

Without daylight savings time, that means in Wisconsin summer sunrise is as early as 4:30 in the morning. Instead of summer sunsets around 8:30 it will get dark an hour earlier. Beside making summer nights shorter it could impact summer tourism, unless everyone start vacation days at 5 or 6 in the morning to make up the difference.

I suspect if the country goes back to standard time or makes daylight savings permanent, it won't take long before we return to the status quo unless there is another world crisis.