Time to spring ahead Sunday

This weekend marks the start of Daylight Savings Time across the U.S. when we set our clocks forward an hour, or “Spring Ahead” on Sunday morning at 2 a.m.

Germany and Austria were the first countries to use Daylight Savings Time in 1916, but few know that a few hundred Canadians beat the German Empire by eight years. In 1908, Port Arthur, Ontario, now known as Thunder Bay, turned their clocks forwards for the first time on July 1.

Germany and Austria, who were allies during WWI, started Daylight Savings Time to minimize the use of artificial lighting to save fuel for the war effort.

The United Kingdom, France and several other countries followed suit within a few weeks.

In school, we were often told Benjamin Franklin was the father of Daylight Savings Time, however, his idea in 1784 was actually a joke.

His letter to the editor of the Journal of Paris, entitled “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light”, simply suggested Parisians could economize candle usage by getting out of bed earlier in the morning.

Daylight Savings Time is now used in over 70 countries worldwide and affects over a billion people. Of course, the beginning and end dates vary from one country to another.