The contentious origins of daylight saving time, why we observe it and why it’s still a politicized topic
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Daylight Saving Time has officially ended … again.
Although most of us probably appreciated the extra hour of sleep, this twice-yearly ritual of adjusting the time leaves many people asking, “Why do we do this?”
There have been numerous efforts over the years to eliminate the practice. Earlier this year, Congress introduced the Sunshine Protection Act. It aims to make daylight saving time — the time schedule from March to November — the permanent time. It has yet to be voted on.
Similar legislation has been introduced in the past and nothing has ever come of it because the concept of daylight saving time, like many other things, is contentious and political.
On this week’s episode of “It’s Worth Mentioning,” Rett Nelson speaks with David Prerau, the nation’s foremost authority on this topic. He’s the author of a book called “Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious History of Daylight Saving Time.”
We get into the origins of DST, how it’s evolved over the years and why it’s such a debated topic. We also discuss Prerau’s motivation for writing the book and his take on DST. Watch it in the video above.
Watch other episodes of the podcast here. If you have a topic or guest idea you’d like us to explore, email rett@eastidahonews.com.