Daylight Saving Time 2017: When Do Clocks Spring Forward?

Spring is just around the corner, and you know what that means: We'll soon lose an hour of sleep.

Although the first official day of spring isn't until Monday, March 20, we're set to "spring forward" one hour when Daylight Saving Time starts Sunday, March 12.

Under Daylight Saving Time, California law requires that the clock moves forward one hour from 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March to 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November.

This annual springtime tradition has been in place for decades, while the concept has been around for centuries.

Some history on the practice, via Patch's resident Daylight Saving Time expert, Bea Karnes:

Several ancient civilizations used water clocks that were adjusted differently throughout the year. In modern times, none other than Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay in 1784, "An Economical Project," suggesting Daylight Saving Time as a way to save candles.

The time shift finally happened in the U.S. in 1918 when President Woodrow Wilson signed it into law to help the war effort during World War I. Back then, it was called Fast Time. It was scrapped after the war. President Franklin D. Roosevelt brought it back in 1942 at the start of World War II. It's been observed in this country ever since.

Currently, some 70 countries around the world observe Daylight Saving Time. The farther they are from the equator, the more likely nations are to change their clocks. China, India and Japan are the only major industrialized nations that don't spring forward and fall back.

The U.S. also has some holdouts — Arizona, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa do not observe Daylight Saving Time.

And while California currently observes Daylight Saving Time, one state lawmaker is trying to stop the practice for a second time.

After unsuccessfully campaigning last year to end Daylight Saving Time, Assemblyman Kansen Chu, a Democrat from San Jose, is aiming to ask voters to repeal the law and allow the legislature to adjust it with a simple majority vote.

Chu, who introduced Assembly Bill 807 in February, tried to push through a similar bill last year to end the annual practice of falling back and springing forward.

Although Chu and other backers argued last year that the practice is dated and disruptive, the bill was ultimately voted down in the state Senate, with opponents raising concerns about the potential impact on California businesses and farmers. Seventeen state senators voted in favor of the bill, while 17 voted against it. Five senators did not records votes.

What do you think of Daylight Saving Time?

Is it a time-honored tradition, or do you want to put an end to the practice? Click on the Facebook icon to the left to share your thoughts.

Also see:

Round Two: State Lawmaker Resurrects Effort To End Daylight Saving Time In California

Image by Hefin Owen via flickr.com, used under Creative Commons