Like many other countries, the U.K. changes its clocks twice a year to extend daylight. On October 25th, the time “falls” back one hour, signaling the start of fall and the shortening of days. Now observed in over 70 countries, Daylight Saving Time pushes clocks forward one hour during the summer, making the days feel longer and giving people more time to get work done in daylight. As British summertime ends, get ready to rug up and welcome the colors of a new season.
History of British Summertime Ends
British Summer Time has a complex history, starting with World War I and undergoing several changes before evolving into its current form. The concept of Daylight Saving Time, an idea first recorded by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, was introduced in Britain in 1907. William Willett, annoyed with the lost hours of daylight he perceived as a waste, wrote a pamphlet encouraging governments to adopt daylight saving time.
It wasn’t until after his death that Germany became the first European country to adopt it, with the U.K. quickly following suit as the Great War bore down on the continent. Concerned about the delicate mechanisms of early 20th century clocks, officials published guidelines and warnings in newspapers to ensure people could change their time without damaging their clocks.
During World War II, things got even more complicated as the British adopted British Double Summer Time, pushing the clock forward two hours. Between 1968-1971, the country experimented with staying on summertime all year long. The experiment ended, although it’s possible the longer days contributed to lower car crash rates.
Before the government established formal Summer Time, King Edward VII, an avid hunter, used his own version called Sandringham Time to give himself an extra 30 minutes of daylight for hunting on his country estate. The United States adopted Daylight Saving Time in 1918, establishing both standard time and geographic time zones. The unpopular system, repealed after World War I, was reinstated as “War Time” using World War II, and finally standardized again nationwide in 1975.
The debate over the benefits of daylight saving time rages on. Whether you think it’s an archaic custom leftover from another time or a useful tool for making the most of available daylight, you’ll find people passionately arguing for each side.