History of Daylight Savings

By: Veronica Edwards ‘27 & Natasha Johnson ‘27

As we transition into winter on The Hill, the days grow noticeably shorter and the sunlight disappears earlier each evening. This Monday marked the first Daylight Saving Time of the year, and as I walked to dinner under the darkening sky at five o’clock, I found myself wondering about the origins of this practice. My curiosity led me to discover that the concept of daylight saving was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin, who suggested that people could conserve candles and money by waking up earlier to take advantage of natural daylight. Although Franklin’s idea was sensible, it was slow to gain acceptance. It wasn’t until 1916 that Germany and Austria-Hungary officially implemented daylight saving time during World War I.
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For us, daylight saving time signals the true beginning of winter. Life on The Hill during these colder, darker months can be challenging, but there are always ways to make it brighter. I suggest getting lots of exercise and setting short-term goals for yourself as motivation. Spend as much time as possible outdoors and embrace what little sunlight there is in the day.