As if keeping up with your day-to-day schedule wasn’t tough enough, twice a year Daylight Savings Time (DST) throws a wrench in your plans. DST gives or takes a precious hour, forcing you to rearrange your entire calendar.
In the modern world of hourly tasks and meetings the sudden change can cause confusion. Falling back or springing forward can be a major hassle, especially if you work with people overseas.
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In fact, DST has been a complicated issue for countries and their citizens since it’s invention.
Who invented Daylight Savings Time?
Although Benjamin Franklin first considered the concept of DST back in 1784, a man named William Willett was credited with the invention in 1905.
He proposed moving the clock 20 minutes forward on each of the four Sundays in April, then switching the clock back by the same amount on four Sundays in September. A bill was first introduced to the House of Commons in 1908, but it was opposed by many and never became law.
The idea remained on the backburner until worldwide crisis made daylight more valuable than ever.
During WWI, Germany and its allies adopted DST as a way to conserve energy. Britain and the United States quickly followed suit, but went back to standard time after the war. As the United States entered WWII, Franklin D. Roosevelt created a year-round DST plan starting in February 1942 and ending in September 1945. The specific time zones were called “Eastern War Time,” “Central War Time,” and “Pacific War Time.” They were changed to “Peace Time” after Japan’s surrender.
Modern Daylight Savings Time
Less than a decade ago, DST was changed yet again to start on the second Sunday in March and end the first Sunday in November. Most of the United States follows this schedule today, but other countries have different start and end dates, an issue for frequent travelers with travel plans.
With that in mind, our app includes a time zone feature that makes it easy to move across timezones.
Luckily, Allcal can help.
Our advanced solution for SOCIAL PLANNING™ guarantees that each event is immediately updated to reflect your current location. For example, if your boss schedules an 8 a.m. conference call in Dallas while you’re in New York City, you’ll automatically know to wake up bright and early for that 7 a.m. call.
This solution means less confusion and less time spent coordinating travel plans, so you can focus on the things that really matter – like trying to get back that lost hour of sleep!