Since its introduction 102 years ago (1916), Daylight Saving Time has always been controversial. Switching the clocks twice a year was not a practice that was embraced by the early and mid-20th century communities. And this is why DST was not adopter by the majority of countries until the early 1980s.
The first country who adopted it on April 30, 1916 was Germany. And even though this may not seem something worth mentioning, the reason is quite interesting.
Because, as it seems, for Germans it was all about the war. In an effort to conserve fuel needed to produce weapons and bombs for World War I in their factories, Germany began saving daylight at 11:00 p.m. on April 30, 1916, by advancing the hands of the clock one hour until the following October. That way they had more daylight thus more productive hours to create the bombs needed for their military operations.
Interesting indeed!
If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: Why Do We Change The Clocks Twice A Year?
Photo: America in War and Peace
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