5 Facts About Daylight Saving Time As It Ends For 100th Time Sunday

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - We've had a century of Daylight Saving Time, and Americans will set their clocks back for the 100th time at 2 a.m. Sunday. Here are five facts to ponder as you turn back time before settling into bed Saturday night.

No, Daylight Saving Time isn't about farming

The concept is credited to New Zealand scientist Goerge Vernon Hudson in the late 19th Century who reportedly wanted to move clocks ahead during the summer to align the time with the setting sun. Other countries adopted the idea during World War I to conserve energy in the summer. This year marks 100 official years of the practice.

Ben Franklin joked about it

Many people believe the idea came from Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. It's true he wrote about an idea similar to Daylight Saving Time, but it was penned satirically. A History.com article states he wrote an essay about how Parisians saved millions of dollars in candles by simply waking up at dawn. Franklin's argument ended up being more about what time people wake up - not about changing the time itself.

Not all of America practices it

Hawaii, Arizona, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands don't observe Daylight Saving Time. Some Amish communities also choose not to participate.

It might not actually save energy

The U.S. Department of Transportation conducted a study in the '70s that showed the amount of energy saved during Daylight Saving Time was about 1 percent during the spring and autumn. A 2006 study from the University of California Santa Barbara found that Daylight Saving Time led to a 1 percent rise in electricity due to air conditioning use.

People keep trying to put an end to it

Utah sometimes sees bills to eradicate Daylight Saving Time. This year, Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, proposed a resolution to end the practice and move Utah to the Central Time Zone, essentially sticking the state on Mountain Daylight Time all year. Do you believe the practice is necessary? KSL's Carter Williams contributed to this story

Related topics