You might be a little more tired this Sunday, March 11, as daylight saving time 2018 begins. The clocks spring forward at 1 a.m. local time on Sunday, robbing most states of an hour of sleep in exchange for an extra hour of daylight during common work hours. You might know how daylight saving time started: Benjamin Franklin kind of proposed it centuries before it was implemented. When it was started, it was initially supposed to save us money on energy needs. But if you dig deeper, as National Geographic did, you will find that the twice-yearly switch has a very colorful history. It has been affecting international relations, creating nested time zones and potentially influencing your health. The modern idea of daylight saving time came from George Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand, in 1895. He wanted a two-hour time shift so that he would have more time after work to go bug hunting. Then British builder William Willett independently had the idea while out riding horseback and proposed the idea to England’s parliament, but was struct down. Then, in 1916, the German government tried to find a way to save energy. They remembered his idea of moving the clock forward. Then every country that fought in World War I followed suit, and so did the U.S. On March 9, 1918, Congress enacted its first daylight saving law but in addition to saving daylight, the Standard Time Act defined time zones in the U.S. Now, the switch doesn’t really save energy. Hawaii just brushes off the time change entirely. Arizona, meanwhile, also said no to moving its clocks around because it gets so scorching hot, residents prefer to savor the cool nighttime hours. However, the Navajo Nation, which is part of Arizona, does observe daylight saving time. But, even more confusing, the Hopi Reservation, which is surrounded entirely by the Navajo Nation, does not. And one more thing: within the Hopi Reservation sits a small slice of the Navajo Nation that, you guessed it, does observe daylight saving time. Finally, daylight saving time has been linked to higher heart attack risk, higher car accident fatalities, and other bad outcomes.
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