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Get ready to adjust your clocks because daylight saving time is making its comeback this Sunday, March 31st. That means it's time to move your clocks forward by one hour, losing a precious hour of sleep as we transition from 3:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.
But don't worry, you'll regain that lost hour of sleep when daylight saving time ends on Sunday, October 27, 2024. According to the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, and Industry, this practice is observed across all European Union countries.
So, why do we do this clock dance twice a year?
Well, it all started as a way to save energy. Back in the 1970s, just a couple of years after the energy crisis hit Europe in 1973, many countries decided to adopt daylight saving time. The idea was to make better use of daylight and conserve energy.
Since 1996, there's been a unified, pan-European regulation: in the spring, we spring forward our clocks by one hour to make the most of the daylight, and in the fall, we fall back by an hour.
But where did this whole concept originate from?
Various stories over the years describe how the United States adopted daylight saving time. Benjamin Franklin famously wrote a "proposal" in a letter to a Parisian newspaper in 1784, suggesting that the city could save millions of pounds of candle wax if citizens woke up with the sunrise. He even joked about firing cannons on every street to wake up the entire city, so the letter is mostly seen as satire.
In 1916, Germany became the first country to introduce daylight saving time to save money on energy costs during World War I. The United States and much of Europe followed suit shortly after.
So, as you prepare to turn your clocks forward this weekend, remember, it's all about making the most of the daylight and saving a little energy along the way.
[With information sourced from 24 News]
