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Daylight Saving Time begins on March 10 — here's the history behind the bi-annual time change, and why some states have gotten rid of it

Sunset silhouette at Kande Beach, Nkhata Bay, Lake Malawi, Malawi
  • At 2 AM on March 10, Americans will "spring forward" change their clocks to an hour later for Daylight Saving Time.
  • While "springing forward" means losing an hour of sleep, the sun will be out for longer in the day.
  • The common wisdom about DST is that it's about farming, but it's not.
  • The history of daylight saving time goes back to World War I, when it was thought to save energy.
  • Here's the full history of daylight saving time, and why some warmer states don't recognize it.

On March 10th at 2 AM ET, states that recognize daylight saving time will "spring forward" and move their clocks one hour ahead.

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While "springing forward" means losing an hour of sleep, the sun will be out for longer in the day, a nice benefit for those living in colder, northern states.

Thinkers including Benjamin Franklin, New Zealand scientist George Hudson, and Englishman William Willett advocated for plans that would give them more sunlight in the day going all the way back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

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The United States and several other European countries enacted daylight saving time during World Wars I and II as an energy-conservation measure, and kept it during peace-time.

Today, most of the US except for Hawaii, Arizona, and many US territories all recognize daylight savings time. While many northern states appreciate the extra hour of sun, some states which experience unbearable heat in the summer prefer an hour of night instead.

Here's the full history of daylight saving time in the United States.

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Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images

H. D. Girdwood via Library of Congress

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AP Photo/Frank Augstein

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Associated Press

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AP Photo/Stephan Savoia

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shutterstock/Andriy Blokhin

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Underwood Archives/Getty Images)

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Courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

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AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

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See Also:

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SEE ALSO: Daylight Saving Time is literally killing us

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