As people start preparing to set their clocks an hour forward on Sunday, March 12th, the time advancing by one hour after 1:59am. Americans are either confused, clueless, or annoyed. For nearly a century the time change has caused annoyance for some, while others jump for joy. 

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of adjusting our clocks and moving the time forward by one hour during the summer months in order to extend daylight hours in the evening. 

Their seem to be a lot of myths stories about why daylight savings time exists in the first place. News flash: it is not for farmers (farmers have to work according to the sun no matter what the clock says)

DST was first introduced by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 as a way to save candles and encourage people to make better use of natural light. However, it wasn’t widely adopted until World War I when several European countries began using DST as a way to conserve coal and other resources during the war effort.

In the United States, DST was originally used during World War I, but it was not made a permanent practice until 1966 when the Uniform Time Act law was passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The act implemented the start and end dates of DST across the country, although individual states can opt out of DST if they choose.

In 2022 our very own, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida introduced the Sunshine Protection Act, which states that eliminating time change would potentially reduce crime, the risk of heart attacks and even car accidents.

The purpose of DST has evolved over time. DST is now used to reduce energy consumption by extending daylight hours and reducing the need for artificial lighting. It is also believed to improve road safety by reducing the number of accidents that occur during the evening rush hour, when it is harder to see.

“The time change really confuses me, I have no actual idea why we do even do it. I would rather the time stay sprung forward because I feel a lot less productive when the sun is already setting by the time 5:30pm rolls around. I am a firm believer that with our modern day technology and resources, the time change is completely useless”, says sophomore Keith Grupenhoff.

Some people argue that the time change is disruptive for sleeping patterns, causes health problems, and limits overall productivity, and overall has no real positive impact on energy consumption or safety.

Despite some of the potential benefits, DST remains a controversial tradition. 

“I think the solution is very simple, If we are actually saving any energy, daylight-saving time should be year round, and If we are not saving energy, daylight-saving time shouldn’t exist anymore”, says Junior Nicholas Ortiz.

Unfortunately, no solution will satisfy everyone. But the absence of any major energy-saving benefits from DST, along with its health benefits, are reason enough to throw away this tradition all together.