4 Surprising Facts About Daylight Saving Time

What you might not know about daylight saving time

Historical origins - Day Savings Time was not invented by Benjamin Franklin, he merely suggested Parisians change their sleep schedules to save money on candles and lamp oil. Intended to benefit U.S. farmers. The sun, not a clock, has always dictated farmers’ schedules. The cows don’t wake up any earlier to milk. Daylight saving time in the U.S. started as an energy conservation trick during WWI.

It’s not for everyone - Arizona and Hawaii opted out of the Uniform Time Act – the law that standardized DST. Arizona doesn't for the practical reason that when summer temperatures soar in the desert, they prefer it to get dark and cool off earlier. Hawaii also refrains, because it's so much closer to the equator than the rest of the country.

Some states voted to opt out: California, Florida, Arkansas, Washington, Tennessee, Oregon, Nevada and Alabama. 8 states passed bills to make daylight saving time permanent. But they haven’t gone into effect. In 1966, then-Tennessee Senator Frank Gorrell said “For the economic, recreational and social benefit of our state, we must have daylight time.” Even Donald Trump supports the idea, TWEET: “Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is O.K. with me!” The European Parliament has also voted to abolish clock changes by 2021.

The benefits of DST - Yet some experts consider it gives people a better quality of life. It reduces traffic accidents. It reduces energy usage and spreads the use of energy over the day. It reduces outdoor crime like mugging and breaking and entering and it's very good for public health because it gets people outdoors in the beautiful spring, summer and fall evenings – rather than sitting home and watching TV another hour. So, there's a lot of great benefits of daylight-saving time. David Prerau, Daylight Saving Time expert concludes.

Brut.