Daylight Savings Time 2012: Spring Forward An Hour For Time Change

Today is the day to spring forward for Daylight Saving Time, and if you didn't spring forward your clock by an hour before going to bed on Saturday, you may need to do so now to adjust to the 2012 time change.

As of 2 a.m. Sunday, you have officially lost an hour of rest, but there is a reward -- longer, sun-filled days beginning today.

If you happen to live in Hawaii, Arizona outside the Navajo Indian territories, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas, you stay on Standard Iime. The rest of the U.S. won't revert to Standard until November.

According to TimeandDate.com, more than 70 countries and territories have at least one location observing Daylight Saving Time.

Daylight Saving Time is used as an engergy-saving method and reduces the artificial light needed during the evening hours. Clocks are set an hour ahead during the spring and one hour back to standard time in autumn.

Benjamin Franklin first suggested Daylight Saving Time in 1784, according to TimeandDate.com, but it wasn't proposed until 1895. Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. currently begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.