Last Updated on 1 week ago by TodayWhy Editorial
Daylight Saving Time (DST) was introduced to make better use of natural daylight and reduce energy consumption during wartime. It was first seriously proposed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but it only became widespread during World War I.
Contrary to popular belief, it was not created to help farmers. Many farmers opposed it. The useful debate today is no longer “Does DST save energy?” It is whether to keep changing the clocks — and the better answer is to stop, and stay on daylight saving time year-round.
Benjamin Franklin’s Satirical Letter (1784)
Benjamin Franklin is often credited with inventing daylight saving time. In 1784, while living in Paris, he wrote a satirical letter to the Journal de Paris. He calculated how much money Parisians could save on candles if they simply woke up earlier and used the morning sunlight.
Franklin suggested firing cannons at dawn to wake people up. He never proposed changing the clocks. His letter was meant as humor, not a serious policy idea.
The First Serious Proposal: George Hudson (1895)
The first realistic proposal came from George Vernon Hudson, a New Zealand entomologist. In 1895 he presented a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society suggesting that clocks be shifted forward by two hours in summer.
Hudson worked shift work and wanted more daylight after work to collect insects. His idea generated interest in New Zealand but was not adopted at the time.
William Willett and “The Waste of Daylight” (1907)
The version closest to modern daylight saving time came from British builder William Willett. During early morning horseback rides, he noticed that many people were still asleep while the sun was already up.
In 1907 he published a pamphlet called The Waste of Daylight. He proposed advancing clocks by 20 minutes on each of four Sundays in April (a total of 80 minutes) and reversing the process in September. Willett lobbied Parliament for years but died in 1915 without seeing his idea become law.
World War I: When Daylight Saving Time Became Law
Germany and Austria-Hungary were the first countries to introduce national daylight saving time on 30 April 1916. The goal was to save coal and reduce artificial lighting during the war.
Britain followed a few weeks later. The United States adopted it in 1918. After the war most countries abolished it, only to reinstate it during World War II and again during the 1970s energy crises.
The Myth That It Was Created for Farmers
One of the most persistent myths is that daylight saving time was invented to give farmers more daylight. In reality, many farmers strongly opposed it. Agricultural schedules are tied to the sun and to the needs of animals, not to the clock. Changing the clocks disrupted milking times, market deliveries, and other routines.
The real drivers were urban and industrial: energy savings, longer evening leisure time, and wartime necessity.
Does Daylight Saving Time Actually Save Energy?
The original wartime argument was energy. That argument is now weak.
A 2018 meta-analysis of 44 studies found average electricity savings of only about 0.34% during DST months. After correcting for method, the best estimate is close to zero. In some warmer regions, evening air-conditioning can even cancel out lighting savings.
So energy is the wrong reason to keep — or to end — the clock change. The better questions are health, safety, and how people actually use the day.
Why Permanent Daylight Saving Time Is the Better Fix
The twice-yearly switch is the real problem. The spring-forward change is linked to more car crashes, workplace injuries and a short spike in heart attacks. Sleep researchers have been saying for years: stop moving the clocks.
That leaves two options: permanent standard time or permanent daylight saving time.
Permanent DST is the stronger everyday choice for most people:
- Evenings stay lighter. That is when people shop, play sport, commute home and spend time outside.
- Dark winter mornings already exist under standard time. Permanent DST trades a darker start to the workday for a brighter end of the day — the hours most people are awake and active.
- Businesses that depend on evening footfall (retail, restaurants, sport) generally prefer later daylight.
- You keep the benefit people actually like about DST, without the twice-yearly disruption.
The main objection is school-age children waiting in the dark in midwinter. That is a real issue, but it is a scheduling and safety problem (later school start times, better lighting, bus routes), not a reason to keep flipping the nation’s clocks twice a year.
Attempts to lock in permanent DST have stalled in Congress and in Europe because regions disagree and because “dark mornings” is an easy political scare. The policy failure does not mean the idea is wrong. It means the clock change survives on inertia.
If the goal is fewer accidents, more usable daylight and an end to the ritual, permanent daylight saving time is the direction that matches how modern life is actually lived.
If you only need the 2026 dates: US ends 1 November; UK/EU 25 October.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented daylight saving time?
No single person. Benjamin Franklin joked about it, George Hudson made the first serious proposal, and William Willett popularized the modern version. Germany was the first country to implement it nationally.
Why do we still change the clocks?
Mostly inertia. The wartime energy case has faded. What remains is a habit that costs sleep twice a year. Permanent daylight saving time would keep the extra evening light without the switch. Permanent standard time would end the switch too, but it would make summer evenings darker — the part of DST people actually use.
Do all countries use daylight saving time?
No. Most countries near the equator do not use it. Many countries in Asia and Africa have never adopted it, and several European and South American countries have abolished it in recent years.
Does DST affect health?
Yes. Studies link the spring clock change to a short-term increase in heart attacks, traffic accidents, and sleep disruption.
Is permanent DST the same as “no more clock changes”?
Yes. The clocks would stay one hour ahead of standard time all year. You would still have earlier sunrises in summer and later sunrises in winter. You would not “spring forward” or “fall back.”