The United States and Canada first observed Daylight Saving Time in 1918 and 1919 as a wartime measure. By setting clocks back in autumn and ahead in spring, daylight hours were extended. Increased daylight helped allocate fuel away from domestic use and towards the war effort. When WWI ended in 1919, the unpopular DST law was repealed. It was reinstituted from February 9, 1942 to September 30, 1945 in support of WWII and called 'War Time' by Franklin D. Roosevelt. The two world wars mark the only times when DST was observed uniformly across the nation.
After WWII, state and local governments began to pass DST ordinances. Unfortunately, the policies were inconsistent and created a great deal of confusion. Suddenly, television broadcast schedules and airline schedules had to be customized based on area laws. On the 35 mile trip between Moundsville, West Virginia, and Steubenville, Ohio, there were seven time changes. The system had become overly complex.
On April 13, 1966, President Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act. The bill put DST regulations into federal law. DST was to begin on the last Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday of October with the changeover occurring at 2 a.m. local time. Included in the bill was the provision that individual states could exempt themselves from DST by passing a state law.
Some states and U.S. territories took advantage of their option to exempt themselves from DST. Among them were Arizona, Hawaii, part of Indiana, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These areas still do not observe DST today.
Beginning in 2007, daylight-saving time will be extended by a month -- three weeks earlier in spring (March 11) and one week later in autumn (Nov. 5).
More Daylight-Saving Time Resources
Daylight Saving Trivia Quiz
DST Fast Facts
