Dreading the Spring Forward? Blame Bugs

Twice a year we spend time reprogramming all the clocks in our lives. Tonight is one of those big nights.

At 2 a.m., Daylight Saving Time begins. Since most of us will be long asleep by then, go ahead and set the clocks forward one hour before hitting the hay for the night.

Ever wondered why we move the hands twice a year—consequently disrupting our sleep schedules and signaling the changing of seasons?

Blame Benjamin Franklin.

Ok, not really.

Blame bugs.

According to Wikipedia, Franklin mentioned the idea, but it wasn't officially proposed until George Vernon Hudson, an amateur entomologist and astronomer (are there bugs in space?) came along in 1895.

An "Encyclopedia of New Zealand" biography explains that Hudson supported his bug habit with a desk job and therefore saw value in longer daylight hours of an evening by which he could collect bugs.

So in 1895, Hudson presented a paper calling for a seasonal time adjustment. The paper actually called for a two-hour shift, but his proposal was "initially ridiculed." 

Still, it started the ball rolling and various incarnations of Daylight Saving Time have been practiced since the early 1900s. Wikipedia actually claims that some ancient cultures practiced a form of DST.

Love it or hate it, DST is here. Take the time tonight to reset those clocks and, while you're at it, this is also traditionally a time to check the batteries in your smoke detectors.