Chapter 1
The satirical spark and wartime clocks
Chapter 2
The great energy saving myth
Chapter 3
Our bodies vs the clock
Chapter 4
A world divided over time
YOUR GOAL
Master of Spring forward, fall back, and the battle over time
Ch 1 · The satirical spark and wartime clocks
misslily Origins of Daylight Saving
Save the light, save the light. It started as a joke, now we're saving coal.
misslily On April 30, 1916, Germany and Austria-Hungary advanced clocks one hour to limit artificial light, prompting other European
misslily A determined collector chases insects through a field in the warm twilight glow
Fun Fact
Candle savings: Benjamin Franklin jokingly calculated that Paris could save 96,000 tons of candle wax if residents simply woke up with the sun.
Glossary
daylight saving time (noun)
The practice of advancing clocks during warmer months so that darkness falls at a later clock time. Germany first adopted this system in April 1916 to conserve coal during World War I.
The practice of advancing clocks during warmer months so that darkness falls at a later clock time. Germany first adopted this system in April 1916 to conserve coal during World War I.
Quiz
From which country did George Hudson, the scientist who proposed a two-hour time shift in 1895, hail?
Quiz
Who was the British builder who published a 1907 pamphlet campaigning for "Summer Time" in the UK?
Quiz
What specific fuel was Germany trying to conserve when it introduced Daylight Saving Time in 1916?
Quiz
In his 1784 satirical essay, which city did Benjamin Franklin suggest could save money on candles by waking up earlier?
Quiz
Which nation was the first to officially adopt Daylight Saving Time on a national scale in 1916?
Quiz
What did Benjamin Franklin calculate that Parisians would save millions of pounds of if they woke up earlier?
Quiz
In what year did both Germany and the United Kingdom first adopt seasonal time shifts?