Time, it's a funny thing. And something that man has tried to control for centuries, and failed. However this weekend time will change as the clocks move back one hour to allow for Daylight Savings Time, thus marking the official start of Wintertime.
At 2am on Sunday morning (October 25th), the clocks will go back to 1am, giving us an extra hour in bed on Sunday morning. These days most electronic devices will automatically change to the new time, however it is worth reminding people so they can allow for the longer day.
Daylight Savings Time - What is it and when did it start?
It was Benjamin Franklin who said "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." But it was New Zealand entomologist George Hudson who first suggested the idea of Daylight Saving Time. Hudson was a keen insect collector in his spare time and he found that he had less and less time to carry out his hobby during the winter months. So in 1895 he wrote a paper proposing a 2 hour daylight-saving shift.
Meanwhile, across the other side of the world in the UK, builder William Willet, who was a keen golfer and found he had to cut his game short as the evenings got darker, published a proposal similar to Hudsons in 1905.
So whether it was the insect loving New Zealander or the golf enthusiast from England, DST was enacted into law in the early 1900's and has been in place ever since.
Currently, under EU law all member states put back their clocks by an hour on the last Sunday in October and put them forward on the last Sunday of March. In the US and Canada DST starts at 2am on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday in November, while in Australia, the clocks go forward on the first Sunday in April, and go back on the first Sunday in October. Countries such as China, Japan, and India, do not follow DST.
Changes - Could this be the last time?
In 2019 a survey was carried out among EU member states regarding the possible abolition of Daylight Saving Time. Following that the European Parliament voted in favour of removing it permanently from Spring 2021. However it has not yet been passed into law, and has since been shelved due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
If the law is passed it is unclear if the island of Ireland will have two time zones after the UK voted to leave the EU.
This reminder is with thanks to Hallmark Jewelers, City Square,
Shop online, at Hallmark Jewelers.i.e.
Then ‘Click and collect’ or receive by post.
Christmas deposits and orders taken by phone daily each morning.
