Time for a Change--Don't Forget to Fall Back, Nyack & Piermont

Most everybody will welcome the opportunity to gain an hour of sleep when they turn back the clocks this weekend, marking the end of Daylight Saving Time.

Most digital devices including phones and computers will automatically reset the time. However, analog devices such as stove and microwave clocks will have to be reset manually. And public safety officials say it’s a good time to change the batteries in smoke detectors as well.

Here’s a bit of history on the practice of ‘falling back” the first Saturday in November every year.

According to WGNO.com, The Uniform Time Act of 1966 provided the basis for alternating between Daylight Saving Time and standard time. However, there have been many changes over the years.

In 1973 Daylight Saving Time (DST) was observed all year, instead of just the spring and summer. Then in 1986, Congress declared that DST would begin at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in April and end at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday in October.

Fourteen years later, Congress voted in 2007 to switch the end of daylight saving time to the first Sunday in November to offer trick-or-treaters more daylight time to venture into the streets, despite the fact that most children wait until after dark to go out.

While most states observe the spring forward/fall back time switch, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands and Arizona do not change the clock.

Photo credit: Jason Rogers via Flickr.com.

Have a news tip? Email lanning.taliaferro@patch.com. You can also post your own news, events and announcements on Patch by following these directions. Curious about how our new commenting platform, Disqus, works? Learn more about it here and start interacting with your neighbors on Patch.