Daylight Saving Time Ending: Interesting Facts About The Practice

It's that time of the year again to set the clocks back to mark the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Let's find out a little more about the divisive little practice.

DST for 2022 ends Sunday at 2 a.m. This means that for most of the U.S., apart from Hawaii and Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation), millions will have to turn their clocks back for an hour to end DST.

The basic idea for DST is that by moving forward for an hour during the spring and switching back again later in the fall, people can maximize natural light during the summer evenings and the winter mornings.

Although it has become a normal part of many people's routines, others still find it bothersome or even downright confusing. There is also the question of how it impacts people's health.

A CBS News poll earlier in the year even shows how divisive the idea of DST can be, with 43% of the respondents saying they prefer DST all year round, while 33% saying they prefer to stick with standard time for the entire year. Some 21%, however, didn't seem to mind switching the clocks now and again.

So far, lawmakers are still "unable to reach a consensus" on whether to make DST permanent.

At the end of DST for 2022, which could potentially be the last reset should the efforts to end the switches by 2023 succeed, let's look at some interesting facts about the practice. (Courtesy: The Old Farmer's Almanac, National Geographic, the American Association of Retired Persons, and Britannica)

• People sometimes say Daylight Savings Time, but the right term is Daylight Saving Time.
• Germany was said to be the first country to implement DST during World War I. The U.S. followed later on in 1918.
• The idea for DST is commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin because of the "whimsical" and even "possibly satirical" letter he wrote for the Journal de Paris in 1794. However, the idea has also been credited to George Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand, and British activist William Willett.
• Previously, DST in the U.S. started in April and ended in October.
• Farmers have also been linked to DST, as it has been believed that DST was observed originally to benefit farmers. The truth is that the farmers were actually against it when it was introduced in the U.S., claiming that it only conferred benefits for office workers as well as the "leisure class."
• U.S. territories Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands also don't follow DST.
• Elsewhere in the world, some places follow DST as well, such as New Zealand and parts of Europe, with differing start and end dates. However, much of Asia and Africa don't.
• DST has its detractors even in other countries. This includes Canada, which is mostly on DST, except in some places where Standard Time is practiced year-round.
• The European Union also voted to end the time shifts in 2019, but issues such as Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic put these motions on hold.