History and myths surrounding daylight saving time

The transition from daylight saving time to standard time occurred on the night of October 24 to 25, with the return to daylight saving scheduled for March 27, 2027.

While a common myth attributes the concept of time changes to Benjamin Franklin via a 1784 satirical essay in the ‘Journal de Paris’, the idea was actually proposed by New Zealander George Vernon Hudson in 1895. Hudson, an entomologist, suggested shifting time to better utilize daylight for work and leisure.

Later, British builder William Willett proposed similar ideas in his brochure ‘Waste of Daylight’, gaining support from figures such as Winston Churchill, though his proposals faced repeated parliamentary rejections.