But when the season is actually upon us, it’s always difficult for me to remember which way to turn my clocks. The phrase “spring forward – fall back” is one popular term meant to trigger your memory to set your clocks forward one hour in the spring at the start of DST, and one hour back in the fall when DST ends. There are others as well: “March forward” reminds those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, where DST begins in March, that they need to turn their clocks forward. “Springing ahead” and “Springing up” is a somewhat different way to remember–you bring your garden furniture “forward” in the springtime, and put it “back” or away in the fall. Some folks actually talk about “gaining an hour or losing an hour,” which is just depressing either way you think about it, and doesn’t really tell you which way to turn your clocks, anyway.

Some studies show that DST could lead to fewer road accidents and injuries by supplying more daylight during the hours more people use the roads. Other studies claim that people’s health might suffer due to DST changes. DST is also used to reduce the amount of energy needed for artificial lighting during the evening hours. However, many studies disagree about DST’s energy savings. While some studies show a positive outcome, others do not.

Benjamin Franklin actually first suggested a clock change in 1784, but DST was not proposed again until 1895 when an entomologist from New Zealand, George Vernon Hudson, presented a proposal for a two-hour daylight saving shift. However, Germany became the first country to implement DST on April 30, 1916.

A few interesting tidbits about the time change:

• “Daylight Time” refers to the DST schedule itself. Other variations are “Daylight Savings
  or “Daylight Saving” (which is the officially recognized term).
• Records have shown that the phrase “spring forward, fall back” has been in use at least as far back as early 20th century. The Heppner Gazette-Times of Heppner, Oregon printed a notice in its October 28, 1928 issue, stating “Daylight Saving Time ends this Sunday, October 31. Remember to set your clocks back one hour, ‘Spring forward – Fall Back!’”.
• Among other things, the 2005 Energy Policy Act extended the Daylight Saving Time (DST) period by starting DST the second Sunday in March and ending it the first Sunday in November. Although this law was for United States only,  other locations (primarily the Canadian Provinces) have made the same change to extend Daylight Saving Time.
• In the Southern Hemisphere (south of the equator) the participating countries start DST between September and November and ends between March and April. Standard time begins in the southern hemisphere between March–April and ends between September–November.
• Today clocks are almost always set one hour back or ahead, but throughout history there have been several variations, like half adjustment (30 minutes) or double adjustment (two hours), and adjustments of 20 and 40 minutes have also been used. A two-hour adjustment was used in several countries during the 1940s and elsewhere at times.

This year, Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 2. At that time, clocks will be turned “back,” to 1 a.m., effectively giving residents an “extra” hour of time (which will, of course, be lost again next March). Enjoy that hour, whether you spend it celebrating or sleeping!