Time to Fall Back

Early this morning, Maryland and most of the nation turned its clocks back one hour as daylight saving time ended.

The act of switching from standard time to daylight saving time was formally introduced in 1918, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) website.

But some areas in the country — and Maryland — were slow to adhere to the changing of the clock. In July 1919, The Baltimore Sun reported “[t]hat many of the residents of the rural districts of Baltimore county are not observing daylight-saving time and are working on slow time …”

The start and end date of daylight saving time has changed through the years. In late August 1922, The Sun reported that the time change went smoothly: “People were all prepared and, except in a few instances, no serious confusion resulted. For when it officially ended at 2 o’clock yesterday morning, those lucky enough to be in their beds at that time got an extra hour’s sleep, while those unlucky enough to be working had to do an extra hour’s work.”

In 1929, The News (Frederick) reported that the change took place in early October: “Daylight saving time, which has been used during the Summer in a number of localities, especially cities of the East, ended this week.”

And nearly 20 years later, in 1948 The Morning Herald (Hagerstown) reported that it was the last week for daylight saving time for Hagerstown and surrounding areas, including Washington, D.C. Only about a decade later, in September 1959, The News reported that “[f]or some time, the ‘fast’ time ended in September, but this year the last Sunday in October … is the change-over day.”

Today, most of the country and U.S. territories follow the practice of “spring forward, fall back,” with the exception of Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Arizona, according to the NIST website. The last change to the start and end date of Daylight Saving Time took place in 2007, according to NIST, when it was extended to promote energy conservation.

What did you do with your extra hour of time today? Share in the comments!

Sources: The Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1919, August 22, 1922; National Institute of Standards and Technology website; The Morning Herald, September 21, 1948; The News, October 3, 1929, September 23, 1959