Why Do We Have Daylight Saving Time?

When you go to bed this Saturday, don't forget to set your clocks ahead an hour. Remember it's spring forward and fall back but you don't have to stay awake until 2 a.m. to make these changes.

You may laugh but I have a friend that claims that's what she thought as a child. My question is: Who let you stay up until 2 a.m. when you were a young kid? I've been told that I need to get new friends but as I've said before, "I like it that I'm not the weird one in my circle."

It's also a good idea to change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when you set your clock ahead. So what's behind the idea of Daylight Saving Time?

Story Behind Daylight Saving Time

The whole concept of Daylight Saving Time is thought to have begun with Benjamin Franklin. He wrote a letter to a French journalist in 1774. He said that they could save money by waking up earlier during the summer because it would prevent them from having to buy so many candles to light the evening hours.

In the US, the concept didn't start until WWI, Congress decided to give the idea it a try in 1918 in an effort to save energy. They passed the law in the same act that created standard time zones, but it wasn't popular and was repealed the following year.

During the next big war in 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt tried out a concept that he called "War Time." He wanted to permanently set the clocks an hour earlier all-year-round to save energy. After the war ended in 1945, most of the states adopted a summer-only time change.

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It was created to save energy but according to the NY Times, the opposite might be true because of air conditioning. We supposedly use 1% more electricity during Daylight Savings.

Here's the takeaway, until all this spring forwarding and fall backing comes to an end, just remember to set your clock ahead this Saturday night. Besides, you don't want to be arriving at church, as the pastor is saying the closing prayer...do you?

On second thought, don't answer that.