Posted on Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 5:59 a.m.
It's that time of year again: 5 fun facts about Daylight Saving Time
By Kellie Woodhouse
Hey Ann Arbor, it's that time of year again.
Time to roll your clocks back an hour and welcome back dark winter evenings and higher energy bills.
It officially begins at 2 a.m., so tonight, before you go to bed, set those clocks back an hour.
Yes, this means you get to sleep in an extra hour. You're welcome.
Burton Memorial Tower on the University of Michigan
AnnArbor.com file photo
- For those of you who think AnnArbor.com got it it wrong when we dropped the 's' from 'savings time,' well, you're the wrong one. It's officially called daylight saving time - so make sure to rub that in the face of everyone you hear say it incorrectly this weekend.
- Pedestrians should watch out. For the next six months, crossing the street is going to be even more unsafe than it is currently. Experts have found that more pedestrians get hit by cars when it's dark.
- If you hate the darker evenings, you should thank former President George W. Bush, who signed a law as a part of the 2005 Energy Policy Act that extended DST by a month. The law —which went into effect in 2007— means four more weeks of sunnier evenings and lower energy bills.
- When you're talking to your grandma in Arizona, no need to remind her to roll her clocks back an hour. Arizona and Hawaii don't observe daylight saving time. Why? It's too darn sunny.
- When DST observance first became a law in 1918, it was so unpopular it was repealed after just two years. (It originally went into effect to save resources during World War I.) It was reinstated during World War II, from 1942 to 1945, when it was observed year-round. It was reestablished once again in 1966 and has existed ever since.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
Comments
YpsiLivin
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 2:39 a.m.
Here's an idea - go to a 24-hour clock based on GMT and drop time zones altogether. Since time is a relative concept, does it really matter whether you call the time you get up 6:30, 11:30, or 13:30?
grimmk
Sun, Nov 6, 2011 : 1:16 a.m.
I've always said Daylight Savings Time. We're Michiganders. We add extra S onto everything. Lets go to Krogers...Meijers...etc. Not a big deal. Local colloquialism.
Ann English
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 11:02 p.m.
After we got one extra week in the fall and three extra weeks in the spring of sunnier evening hours, I felt the shortness of standard time, compared to standard time of earlier years. Last I read, Indiana remains partly in Central Time and partly in Eastern Time, but the whole state agreed to go on Daylight Saving Time. We're on it for seven months and three weeks of the year.
Steve Johgart
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:43 p.m.
I agree with the folks who favor dropping the entire concept, but I'd drop it by extending DST all year. I much prefer the later sunset to the earlier sunrise.
hmsp
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 7:29 p.m.
Yes, Nixon did institute DST back then. And Pat Oliphant, the political cartoonist, drew a decidedly non-PC cartoon of Nixon, dressed as an American Indian, showing how to lengthen a blanket by cutting a foot off of one end, and sewing it onto the other.
Goober
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 5:43 p.m.
Yes, let's blame Bush.
Steve Johgart
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:37 p.m.
Uh...Goober...I believe that was actually a compliment for Bush. The comment started "If you hate darker evenings..." and then went on to say that Bush's signature extended the sunnier evenings by four weeks.
Ed Kimball
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 7:31 p.m.
I don't often defend Bush, but I'm willing to let him off the hook and blame Congress!
jns131
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 4:41 p.m.
O and correction on number 4. Indiana does not roll either.
jns131
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 3 p.m.
I know in Amish country you do not touch that clock. They like things the way they are.
actionjackson
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 6:18 p.m.
Actually it is a county to county thing in Indiana. Makes for real problems in day to day business.
jns131
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 4:39 p.m.
So on comment number 2, does that go hand in hand with that accident out on Wagner and Jackson? I think it does. All I know is it messes me up sleep wise. I am always feeling like I am missing an hour somewhere. Glad it is near a holiday.
Ann English
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:43 p.m.
If we were on standard time last Friday, it would have been lighter out at 7:30 in the morning, and the boy would have been seen more easily by the truck driver.
MRunner73
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 3:54 p.m.
Glad it is soon to be over. The whole time change idea is stupid. We live at the western end of the time zone. I can handle sunset from 5 to 5:30 pm this time of year. The post 8 am sunrises are worse. Unfortunately, we'll see that again by late Dec and early Jan. Yes, it IS Daylight Saving Time. Another thing stupid, people hung up on correct grammer and sentence structure. Wait until the teenagers and pre teens grow up into adulthood.
swcornell
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 2:36 p.m.
Instead of dropping the "s", let's drop the entire concept. Several studies have proven that it costs more than it's worth and doesn't really save anything. There are statistically more car accidents during the week after the change, because it messes with everyone natural sleep cycle. It assumes everyone is a farmer of a school child and only works during daylight hours. What about the millions of people that don't? Such as all the medical personnel that keep the hospitals open 24/7/365! Let's join Arizona & Hawaii and stop doing it. And don't get me started on the fact that we had to set our own change dates different than anyone else in the world!
spm
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 5:13 p.m.
I agree. Let's drop the whole thing.
Bob
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 1:24 p.m.
More pedestrians get hit when it's dark? Wow. Go Figure . . .
dextermom
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 12:54 p.m.
Me, too! Unemployed English major ready and able to proof read!!! Willing to make mistakes.
Kai Petainen
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 12:43 p.m.
sweet photo! BTW.. here is a time lapse of last nights sunset (it's not great, but still neat) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4J1j8cvxXQ" rel='nofollow'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4J1j8cvxXQ</a>
spm
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 5:11 p.m.
Thanks for sharing, very pretty sunset!
obviouscomment
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 12:28 p.m.
I love how aa.com is so quick to jump on it's readers to say how they are correct in dropping the "s" but at the same time they didn't really drop the "s" in the headline. And then in the sentence after sticking it to the readers, they said this: "It's officially calling daylight saving time"...ahem...I believe that should be "called". So actually, again, YOU are the wrong one. I don't usually nitpick the typos in these stories because there's just too many, but I couldn't resist this. As I've said before, are you interested in providing more jobs for the community? Because I am available as an editor/proofreader if you are interested.
markguy
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 1:08 p.m.
The possessive of 'it' has no apostrophe. Only the contraction of 'it is' needs an apostrophe. Better look for a different job.
Paula Gardner
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 12:34 p.m.
Just fixed that typo - thanks.
A2comments
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 11:07 a.m.
What S did you drop? Headline has it...
Kellie Woodhouse
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 12:28 p.m.
Thanks for pointing that out!
Buster W.
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 11:57 a.m.
Those silly details!
Eileen
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 11:40 a.m.
That's the first thing I noticed too. Nice attention to detail, AnnArbor.com!
McGiver
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 10:29 a.m.
It seems to me that we went to year-around DST under the Nixon administration for a couple of years to save energy. Can anyone confirm that?
Rob Henderson
Sat, Nov 5, 2011 : 12:44 p.m.
Wikipedia confirms that we went to year-round DST from Jan 1974 to Apr 1975. If you trust Wikipedia, of course. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_in_the_United_States" rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_in_the_United_States</a> (I was five, so I don't remember!)