The decision was made to change the clocks on a Saturday night/Sunday morning because it would be the least disruptive option for schools and businesses. to maximize the benefit of having more daylight, coincide with the warmest and longest days of the year.
will my phone automatically update the time?
Most devices with an internet connection, such as smartphones, should update automatically. however, clocks in cars and kitchens, for example, won’t change automatically, so make sure you’re ready to move on.
royal observatory curator louise devoy explains what happens in greenwich when the clocks change:
Actually, I have very little work when the clocks change! We deliberately keep most of our historic clocks in GMT year-round, as they were primarily used before the first daylight saving time came into effect in 1916. Visitors arriving at the observatory in the summer are often confused by the apparent delay shown on the shepherd’s door clock but as the first public clock in britain to display gmt we are proud to carry on this tradition.
The most significant change is our dolphin clock which needs to be adjusted four times a year: at the solstices (June and December) and when the clocks change (March and October).
Do other countries change clocks?
About 70 countries have some form of daylight saving time, but it varies from region to region.
Much of Europe and North America, as well as parts of South America and Australasia, change their clocks. however, many countries in Africa and Asia around the equator do not change the time.
is the united states getting rid of daylight saving time?
In the United States, clocks go forward on the second Sunday in March and go back on the first Sunday in November, but not all states change their clocks.
Arizona does not use daylight saving time (aside from the semi-autonomous Navajo Nation) and neither does Hawaii.
however, the united states could eliminate daylight saving time. In March 2022, just days after the clocks changed, a bill known as the Sun Protection Act passed the United States Senate. the legislation proposed to make daylight saving time permanent and no more seasonal clock changes starting in November 2023.
despite being approved by the senate, the bill still needs to be accepted by the house of representatives and then signed into law by the president of the united states.
united states clocks change 2023
- clocks are turned forward on March 12, 2023
- clocks turn back on November 5, 2023
will the eu stop changing clocks?
In March 2019, the European Parliament endorsed a proposal to end the practice of changing clocks in European Union states.
Initially, the plan was for EU nations to change their clocks for the last time in 2021, but legislation has stalled in recent years. At the moment, EU nations continue to implement seasonal time changes.
story of daylight saving time
1784: Benjamin Franklin first suggested the idea of daylight saving time in a whimsical article.
1907: An Englishman and enthusiastic horseman, William Willett campaigned to move clocks forward in the spring and summer and back in the fall. His rather complicated plan was to advance the clocks 80 minutes, in 4 separate movements of 20 minutes each.
1908: The House of Commons rejected a bill to move clocks forward one hour during the spring and summer months.
1916 – the daylight saving time law was passed, mandating that during a certain period during the year, legal time must be one hour before gmt. double daylight saving time (gmt + 2 hours) was used during the second world war.
