What is Daylight Saving Time (DST)?
The custom of moving the clocks forward as warmer weather approaches and backwards when it gets colder again is known as daylight saving time, or DST. By extending the amount of time we may spend outside during the day, Daylight Saving Time aims to help us make better use of daylight.
The Northern and Southern hemispheres have different months when the clocks are moved forward and backward.
Which countries follow Daylight saving time?
While most countries worldwide, especially those near the equator, do not, the majority of North America and Europe do. Since its inception, the technique has generated controversy; numerous nations have both approved and rejected it.
In an effort to reduce energy consumption, Egypt declared in March that it would resume daylight saving time following a seven-year hiatus. Japan debated implementing the custom for the 2020 Summer Olympics, but ultimately decided against it because of both technical and public support issues.
In the United States, Hawaii and Arizona, with the exception of Navajo Nation, do not observe daylight saving time. American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also observe permanent standard time.
When do the clocks go forward in 2024?
In the U.S., clocks will officially spring forward at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 10, 2024.
The clocks change on the last Sunday of March every year in the UK, moving forward by one hour. This marks the beginning of British Summer Time (BST). In 2024 the clocks go forward on 31 March at 1am.
When did Daylight saving time begin?
George Hudson, a New Zealand entomologist, first proposed the idea of changing the clocks in accordance with the seasons in the late 19th century. His intention was to conserve energy and prolong the summer daylight hours, which would have benefited his own after-work hobby of collecting insects.
The concept didn't take off until after World War One, when European nations started looking for ways to save gasoline. In 1916, Germany became the first nation to use daylight saving time, and the United States followed suit in 1918.
Before the Uniform Time Act, which was passed in 1966 and allowed states to choose whether or not to continue using daylight saving time, the practice underwent numerous changes. Contrary to popular belief, which holds that farmers benefited from daylight saving time, many farmers dislike the practice since it interferes with their routines.
What does it mean for travel?
Things become tricky if you're traveling abroad, particularly after the US adopts DST but before other nations do. Let's say you have a flight scheduled for March 15 at 9 am from New York to London. You would normally arrive about 9 pm on a standard flight because there is often a 5-hour time difference.
But this isn't true over a period of two weeks. The time difference will only be 4 hours because the U.S. has advanced the clock by one hour and the U.K. won't do so until March 26. As a result, you would arrive at 8pm instead.
Traveling in March and April from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere is another possibility you may want to think about. Sydney is currently 16 hours ahead of New York; but, on Sunday, US will advance by one hour, making the difference in time 15 hours. The time difference will be reduced to just 14 hours on April 2 when Sydney returns to autumn (as it is presently fall there instead of spring).
