Don't Forget To 'Spring Ahead' This Weekend

Spring Is In The Air

Warmer weather is just around the corner, with SPRING (The SPRING Equinox) less than two weeks away on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20th. But first, we all lose an hour of sleep this weekend -- as DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME begins at 2a on SUNDAY, MARCH 10th. So set your clocks an hour ahead before you hit the bed.

The History Of Daylight Saving

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN is credited with the concept of DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME. The basic idea is to make the best use of daylight hours by shifting the clock forward in the SPRING and backward in the FALL. DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME has been in use throughout much of the U.S., CANADA and EUROPE since WORLD WAR I. In 1966, Pres. LYNDON JOHNSON signed an act into law whereby DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME begins on the last SUNDAY of APRIL and ends on the last SUNDAY of OCTOBER each year. However, any State can opt out of DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME by passing a State law.

HAWAII does not observe DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME and neither does ARIZONA (although the NAVAJO NATION, in northeastern ARIZONA, does). For many years, most of INDIANA did not observe DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME with the exception of 10 counties. Beginning in 2006, all of INDIANA now observes DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME.

In 2005, President BUSH signed into law a new energy policy bill that would extend DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME by four weeks beginning in 2007, so DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME now begins at 2a on the second SUNDAY of MARCH and DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ends at 2a on the first SUNDAY of NOVEMBER.

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