Don't For Get To Reset Your Clocks

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From Yahoo news

We have good news and we have bad news. The good news: Your sunny days are about to get longer. The bad: You're gonna get less sleep this weekend. Daylight- saving time is back and folks are eager to know when to switch their clocks, as well as why they have to.

When does daylight-saving time start this year?

First off, the answer is Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 a.m. According to a military website, the change always occurs on the second Sunday in March (it used to be in April). Over the past week, searches on "when is daylight savings time 2009" have soared 1,658%. Related queries on "daylight savings time 2009" and "spring ahead" also posted big gains in the Search box.

Why do we have daylight-saving time?

Some folks believe it helps us save energy. With longer daylight hours, there's less of a need for folks to turn on the lights. Sounds like small potatoes, but collectively, the use of less energy is a big deal. In recent years, other studies have contradicted the claims that more daylight = less energy consumed. Still, for now, it looks like daylight-saving time is here to stay. Oh, and by the way, it's "daylight-saving," not "daylight-savings."

When did it start originally?

According to WebExhibits, Benjamin Franklin originally conceived of the idea. In the United States, daylight-saving time started in 1918 during World War I. It proved unpopular, and, according to an energy website from the state of California, the initiative was repealed shortly thereafter. It was later brought back during World War II, and has stuck around in one way or another ever since. It became law in 1966 with the Uniform Time Act.

Where don't they have daylight-saving time?

Perhaps the word "uniform" is a bit much, because daylight-saving time isn't everywhere. For example, it isn't observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and most of Arizona. Why Arizona? According to NPR, the "Grand Canyon State" tried it for a year in 1967, and didn't like it. The state legislature asked for an exemption and it was given. Apparently, the squeaky wheel really does get the grease. Or in this case, an extra hour of sleep.