DST developed from satirical writing into wartime policy, then into a recurring modern policy debate.
Early Ideas
- 1784: Benjamin Franklin published a satirical letter about morning light and candle use.
- 1895: New Zealand entomologist George Hudson proposed seasonal clock changes.
- 1907: William Willett campaigned for DST adoption in Britain.
First National Adoptions
- April 30, 1916: Germany became the first country to adopt DST during WWI.
- 1918: The U.S. adopted DST under the Standard Time Act.
- 1919: U.S. national DST was repealed, then reintroduced during WWII (“War Time”).
Selected Timeline
| Year | Change |
|---|
| 1966 | U.S. Uniform Time Act standardized DST rules. |
| 2011 | Belarus ended DST. |
| 2014 | Russia ended recurring DST. |
| 2016 | Turkey moved to permanent UTC+3. |
What Research Finds
Modern studies repeatedly report short-term costs around spring transitions, including sleep disruption, temporary increases in heart-attack risk, and accident spikes. Energy savings are generally smaller than early 20th-century expectations.