Patch Poll: Spring Forward, Is Daylight Saving Time Still Necessary?

It’s time to spring forward again! Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday at 2 a.m., so don’t forget to set your clocks ahead one hour. It’s also the Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring.

You may have noticed the annual tradition of daylight saving time has crept forward a bit. We used to spring forward on the first Sunday in April and fall back on last Sunday in October. But a couple years ago, Congress changed the date — adding more daylight saving time to the calendar. This year, it will run from March 11 until Nov. 4.

Did you know?

• Even though a good majority of people say “Daylight Savings Time,” the correct term is “Daylight Saving Time,” according to TimeandDate.com.
• Two U.S. states, including Arizona and Hawaii, don’t observe Daylight Saving Time. The same goes for American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, all U.S. territories.
• Benjamin Franklin was the first American who advocated for Daylight Saving Time when he realized in 1784 that while people burned more candles at night during the summer, many slept past dawn. His plan would literally “save daylight.”
• Daylight Saving Time was officially proposed in 1895 as a way to cut back on the need for candles and other light artificial lights during the summer months and later implemented during World War I.
• Though it’s still in effect in most U.S. states, many experts say it’s no longer necessary. National Geographic reported in December that several studies in recent years prove that Daylight Saving Time doesn’t actually save energy—and it might even result in an energy loss in the long run.