Hidden Cafes and Alleyways

If you’re reading this you may be a little hungover and just realizing that yes, you lost an hour of sleep. Or you may be living in a country that doesn’t do daylight savings. And some countries don’t have it until a couple of weeks from now. So, what the deal? Why is this so different everywhere?

Daylight savings historically only started in Canada in 1908. It’s basically used to conserve energy and utilize daylight. Although the actual practice has only been around for about a century, the article previously linked stated that Ancient Romans adjusted their day accordingly with the daylight and had different scales according to the time of year.

Daylight savings time was not always consistent. There was a period of time in the U.S. where some people used it and others didn’t, confusing train times, broadcasting, and personal schedules. It wasn’t until the Uniform Time Act of 1966 that the U.S. Congress tried to unite the country in finding one solution for DST.

As of now. daylight savings is observed in over 70 countries. These mostly include the United States, the United Kingdom, and in the European Union. Still, there are a variety of opinions about Daylights Savings around the world. And recently legislation in the U.S. has had a major push to oppose DST, claiming it disrupts sleep too much.

To see the full list of Daylight Savings times and dates around the world click here. And a fun fact, Lord Howe Island’s time is only set forward by 30 minutes which puts them at the same time as the mainland during Daylight Savings. Wild, right?!