Spring forward, fall back

The idea of saving daylight was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin during the time he served as an American delegate in Paris in 1784. Some of Franklin's friends, inventors of the oil lamp, were so taken by the scheme that they continued corresponding with Franklin even after he returned to America.

The idea was first advocated seriously by a London builder, William Willett, in a pamphlet titled "Waste of Daylight" that proposed advancing clocks 20 minutes on each of four Sundays in April and setting them back by the same amount on four Sundays in September.

Daylight-saving time has been used in the United States and in many European countries since World War I. The plan was formally adopted in the United States in 1918.

Daylight- saving time begins for most of the United States at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of April, which was April 4 in 2004. Clocks revert to standard time at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday of October. Throughout Europe, 2004 daylight-saving time began at 1 a.m. on March 28.

During daylight-saving time, clocks are turned forward an hour, effectively moving an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. The main purpose of daylight-saving time, called "Summer Time" many places around the world, is to make better use of daylight. We change our clocks during the summer months to start the day an hour earlier so an extra hour of daylight is available in the evening.

For more fun reading and other activities, try these Web sites:    • Saving Time, Saving Energy    • Early Clocks    • Clocks...Teaching Time

A poll done by the U.S. Department of Transportation indicated that Americans like daylight-saving time because "there is more light in the evenings, and more work can be done then." daylight-saving time also saves energy in both the evening and the morning since less electricity is used for lighting and appliances. Energy use and the demand for electricity for lighting our homes is directly connected to when people go to bed and when they get up.

Daylight-saving time also helps people in another way. Many fire departments encourage people to change the batteries in their smoke detectors when they change their clocks, because it can be so easy to forget otherwise.

Occasionally, people complain about daylight-saving time, such as about the inconvenience of changing many clocks and adjusting to a new sleep schedule.

What are you doing with your new hours of light in 2004?