‘Fall Back’ Date from 2011 Daylight Savings Time Nov. 6 – Why do we do it?

It’s almost time to ‘fall back’ again, with the end of daylight savings time for 2011, as the long days of summer give way to winter. This year the official end of daylight saving time is on November 6th at 2 a.m. local time.

For most Americans the time change means shorter days and less daylight in the evening after returning home from work. But for those who live in the states of Arizona and Hawaii, the fall back from daylight savings will go unnoticed, as these states do not participate in the time change.

At this time of year, and in March at the start of DST when we ‘spring ahead’ one hour, many ask why we use daylight saving time and where it came from. In a story last week (http://newstaar.com/2011-day-light-savings-time-end-date-approaching-%e2%80%93-how-and-why-did-it-begin/354473/), we looked into the question and here is what we found.

Some have traced the concept back to Ben Franklin who once wrote of how much would be gained by taking advantage of the longer days offered by the summer sun. Getting more done during daylight hours, literally saved one from ‘burning the midnight oil.’

According to reports, it was Germany who first adopted the daylight saving time change in an effort to save resources like coal being used for lighting. In 1918, the U.S. passed a federal law creating the daylight saving time standard for states wishing to participate.

To save resources during World War II, the time change became mandatory, and infact, from 1942 to 1945 the time change was in effect year round. The mandate was repealed at the end of the war.