Daylight Saving Time Begins This Weekend: What You Need To Know

It’s time to spring ahead. Daylight saving time begins this weekend which means that it’s time to set your clock ahead on hour.

WHEN: Daylight saving time begins on Sunday. You should set your clock ahead one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. (Or, you know, before you go to bed on Saturday night.)

WHERE: Most places in the United States will set their clocks ahead an hour on Sunday. WNYC reports that it became a national law in 1966. Hawaii and Arizona, however, do not set their clocks forward an hour.

The rest of the world is also split on Daylight Saving Time participation. Places like Canada, Mexico, Australia, and most of Europe and South America change their clocks while Russia, Asia, and nearly all of Africa will not.

WHY: The concept of Daylight Saving Time was first thought of by George Vernon Hudson but most people credit Benjamin Franklin with the invention of DST. Franklin said that we would be able to make more use of daylight if we set our clocks ahead an hour.

Daylight Saving Time was first established in the Act of March 19,1918, sometimes called the Standard Time Act. The practice was unpopular because it gave people an hour less to sleep, but was eventually made a national law.

BENEFITS: There are many supposed benefits to DST. Some say that the extra hour of light gives people more time to work and socialize. Some say the increased daylight decreases accidents. While others say that with more daylight people people use less appliances and save energy.

NEGATIVES: The extra hour of daylight also means one less hour of sleep. The Inquisitr reported earlier this week that there is actually an increased chance of heart attacks on the Monday after DST kicks in.

HOW LONG: Since 2007, DST starts on the second Sunday in March and ends the first Sunday in November.

HOW TO CANCEL DST: Not everyone is happy with losing an hour of sleep. If you want to end DST you can join the petition here.

Have more questions about Daylight Saving Time? Here’s a video about DST.