Daylight Saving Time

Don’t forget to turn back your clocks for Daylight Saving Time.

Don’t be left in the dark, Montclair! Daylight Saving Time is upon us and although it may take away that extra hour of sleep (initially), it will keep Mr. Sunshine out for the better part of the day. At 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 8, the clocks will spring ahead one hour. This will make for a brighter morning and a delayed sunset, which can only mean one thing – warm weather is on the way! If only the temperatures could change as quickly as the clocks.

Be sure to adjust your alarm clocks accordingly on the night of March 7 as well as your kitchen appliances. All of your digital clocks (cell phones, TVs, computers, tablets) will change automatically. That trusty wristwatch of yours will need changing, too.

In 1784, Benjamin Franklin first suggested the conservation of energy and “economizing candle usage,” to Parisians in an attempt to take advantage of the sunlight. However, Daylight Saving Time was not introduced to the United States until 1918, and was then titled “fast time.” President Woodrow Wilson signed the DST initiative into US law. Mr. President implemented Daylight Saving Time during WWI to support the war effort on the home front. Today, more than 70 countries take advantage of the sunlight and adjust their clocks just like we do here in the States.

Daylight Saving Time is not to be confused with the first day of spring, which falls on Friday, March 20. Here’s to longer days and warmer weather!

  benjamin franklin, daylight saving, daylight saving time