Early this Sunday — at 2 a.m. to be precise — it’s time to set the clocks back one hour as part of the twice-yearly Daylight Saving Time ritual.
According to Wikipedia, the modern idea of daylight saving was first proposed in 1895 to maximize the use of daylight hours. It was originally implemented by Germany and Austria-Hungary, starting on April 30, 1916.
Much of the United States began using DST in the 1950s and 1960s, and DST use spread following the 1970s energy crisis. The practice has been in wide use in North America and Europe since then.
In the spring, the clocks are said to “spring ahead,” and in the fall, they “fall behind.”