Emporiblog - Why Do The Clocks Change?
In today's post, we're going to attempt to solve a mystery that has been bugging me (and probably several others) for years: why do the clocks change?
I bet several of you have wondered about this but, like myself, you've either forgotten to Google it or you simply can't be bothered. Fear not! I shall do all the Googling so you don't have to!
When did it start?
The idea for daylight savings actually came from Benjamin Franklin, whilst on a trip to Paris in 1784. The original premise of the idea was that if people got up earlier, they could make the most out of the daylight and save on Candles and lighting.
Why do we do it in Britain?
Daylight savings wouldn't arrive in Britain until the 1900s when a builder called William Willet caught on to the idea. Willet is said to have been a keen golfer and would get mad when daylight ran out and he could no longer play. It also irked him that, during the summer time, many of his neighbours would draw their curtains when it was still light. So, he thought that it would be a good idea to better adapt the time to make the most of the light.
His initial campaign in the early 1900s did draw some attention but it didn't gain the support it needed from the House of Commons. The idea resurfaced during WW1 when resources had to be conserved and the Summer Time Act was officially passed in 1916 on May 17th.
Willet wasn't the first to advocate for daylight savings in Britain by any means, but he was the most driven. Unfortunately, he would pass away before daylight savings was implemented.
Spring forward, Fall back is the rule that we're familiar with as British Summer Time (BST) starts in the spring and we return to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in the autumn.
Trivia
Here is some trivia on daylight savings:
- When it was first introduced, Britains had to put their clocks forward 11 hours to return to British Standard Time as winding backwards would have broken the mechanism
- In 1895, George Hudson, an astronomer and entomologist, proposed an idea for daylight savings so he could devote more time to insects
- Daylight savings wasn't standardised in the EU until 1996
- The clock always go forward on the last Sunday of March and back on the last Sunday in October
I think we'll leave this here!! Sorry for the lateness of the post, I always have trouble adjusting to the clocks going forward!!
Blessings,
C )0(
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