It’s time again to fall back an hour. You know, “spring ahead, fall back.” No matter what your feelings are on the whole spring forward, fall back dilemma, Hit Trophy wants to remind you and make it easy to get through the change.
Daylight Savings Time (DST) is a relatively new phenomenon, but the idea for DST has been around for a long time. Ben Franklin is credited with the saying, “Early to bed and early to wise make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” According to the Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin, he made some rather radical suggestions to the French. It seems Franklin was serving as an American envoy to the French in 1784 when he proposed waking Frenchmen earlier to use the early morning daylight. Rationing candles, taxing shutters, and firing cannons at sunrise were some of his suggestions.
But our modern DST came from a man half way around the globe. George Hudson, a New Zealand entomologist, proposed the idea of setting the clocks ahead in the spring. It gave him extra time to collect insects in his free time after he finished his day job, and he first presented the idea in a paper in 1895. Approximately twenty years later, in 1916, Germany and its World War I allies were the first to “Spring Ahead” on April 30. Two years, America followed suit.
But America struggled with the implementation of DST. After WWI, it was repealed, only to be reinstated during WWII. Once again, in peacetime, the U.S. reverted to standard time. Finally, in 1966, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 provided a uniform rule for the use of DST for the entire country, but it also allowed for local exemptions. The latest change happened in 2007. Now, DST happens from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday of November.
The arguments for and against DST will probably rage for years, but more importantly, how do you and your family survive the sudden shock to your system? If you have young children, www.sleepytimeconsulting.com has some suggestions. For falling back an hour, it is recommended to put your child to bed at the regular bedtime on Saturday night, and get up with your child Sunday morning. Your child will probably get up early (her normal time) so beware! The rest of the day, try to keep your child from napping. When bedtime gets close, try to keep junior awake until the regular bedtime. If successful, your child’s clock should be reset.
For you, some experts claim falling back an hour is a great time to catch up on much needed rest. In fact a 2008 Swedish study has shown that heart attacks were significantly reduced the first weekday after the fall change. (Beware, the same study suggests that after the spring change, heart attacks were more common the first three weekdays!) Some experts suggest that you use the change in DST to develop some good habits. From www.goldenvalley.patch.com , comes the suggestion to change the batteries in your smoke alarms. Also, set your clocks back an hour BEFORE you go to bed so that you wake up using the new time.
We also wish to remind you that Hit Trophy offers over sixty different time pieces for a variety of your needs. We have wall clocks, desk clocks and book clocks all ranging in price from $12.90 – $159.90. Two of our more popular clocks have photos that we have featured in this post. The first is our BC970 Rosewood Desk Clock that features a smooth piano finish, an engraving plate for personalization and a lifetime warranty on the clock works. Standing at 6.75″ tall, this clock is perfect for any desk or shelf that is in need of some decoration. The second clock is our 3728BC Silver Pillar Clock that features smoked glass and black piano finish highlights. This impressive clock weighs in at over 4 lbs and proudly stands 9″ tall. This clock is the perfect addition to any contemporary office, den or conference room that is in need of a time piece. Most of our clocks can be personalized by engraving your name, the name of your business, or some special words to that special person. Our engraving is always free, so let us help you keep track of time as we fall back onto standard time. To view our complete collection of engraved clocks, simply click this link.