Reason for Daylight Saving Time:

• To make better use of daylight.
• Conserve energy
• Saves lives because people travel home in the light which is safer.
• Can prevent crime because people do their errands in the daylight which is safer.
• Contrary to popular belief, it was not created for farmers nor does it benefit farmers.

History of Daylight Saving Time:

• First thought of by Benjamin Franklin in his 1784 essay, “An Economical Project”.
• On March 19, 1918, an Act to preserve daylight and provide standard time for the United States was enacted. Daylight Saving Time was set to begin on March 31, 1918 until the end of World War I.
• It was repealed in 1919.
• President Roosevelt instituted year-round Daylight Saving Time during World War II. He called it War Time and it lasted from 1942 to 1945.
• Daylight Saving Time was not a law after 1945 and some locations still used it, which created difficulties for scheduling.
• The Uniform Time Act of 1966 was signed by President Lyndon Johnson. It had Daylight Saving Time begin on the last Sunday in April and end on the last Sunday in October. States that wanted to be exempt had to pass a State law to do so.
• During the energy crisis in the 1970’s, President Nixon signed into law, the Daylight Saving Time Energy Act of 1973. This extended Daylight Saving Time to longer periods in an effort to save energy.
• In 1986 it was amended to start Daylight Saving Time on the first Sunday in April and kept it ending on the last Sunday in October.
• April 2005 – Starting in April 2006 Indiana will join 47 other states in observing DST.
• On August 8, 2005, President Bush signed an energy bill that increased Daylight Saving Time from the second Sunday in March, to the first Sunday in November. (see pros and cons below)

Places in the U.S. and it’s Territories That Do Not Participate in Daylight Savings Time:

• Hawaii
• Most of the Eastern Time Zone portion of the State of Indiana (starting in 2006, Indiana will be observing DST)
• The state of Arizona except for the Navajo Indian Reservation
• American Samoa
• Guam
• Puerto Rico
• Virgin Islands

Also Associated With Daylight Saving Time:
Change the batteries in your smoke detectors in your home.

Pros and Cons of the Change in Daylight Saving Time in 2007

• Pros:
• Energy use will be curtailed.
• Halloween trick or treaters will get more daylight.
• Longer “synthetic sunshine”.
• Cons:
• Daylight Saving Time may wreak havoc on computers and electronics. Microsoft plans an upgrade for their operating systems but items such as DVD players and VCRs are programmed for the old dates and are not able to be upgraded.
• Other countries (Canada specifically) feel compelled to change also because their economy is so integrated with the U.S.
• Airlines are opposed to the changes because of scheduling International flights.
• Farmers are opposed because of the impact on livestock.