5 Things You Need to Know About Daylight 'Savings' Time

1. The correct term is not Daylight “Savings” Time but Daylight Saving Time. “Savings” is a common colloquialism that’s incorrect because the word refers specifically to money that is not used—never mind the idea that time is money.

2. There’s such a thing as “extended” Daylight Saving Time, which refers to the fact that until 2005 clocks were turned back on the last Sunday of October. In that year, reports the New York Times, the U.S. Congress inserted a clause into the U.S. Energy Policy Act, extending Daylight Saving Time until the first Sunday of November in the hope of saving an extra week of energy. (In spring, correspondingly, clocks will be set ahead on the second Sunday in March instead of the first Sunday in April.)

3. When we turn our clocks an hour backward or forward, safety groups recommend that we also change the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors—a convenient way to remember to ensure that the devices function properly.

4. California sought U.S. Congress approval in 2001 to be allowed to scrap Daylight Saving Time and remain on Standard Time because, the state argued, energy savings from Daylight Saving Time were negligible. But the timing of California’s request coincided with the September 11 attacks—and Congress has not yet acted upon the request, reports the Huffington Post, quoting the California Energy Commission.

5. On hearing about Daylight Saving Time, according to QuoteGarden.com, an old Native American is said to have remarked: "Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer blanket."