Daylight saving time will officially come to an end for 2024 on Sunday, November 3. At 2 a.m., clocks will “fall back” one hour, giving most people an extra hour of sleep. The shift brings earlier sunrises, but also earlier sunsets, with nightfall arriving before 7 p.m. The clocks won’t “spring forward” again until March 2025.
While there have been frequent efforts in Congress to make daylight saving time permanent and stop the biannual clock changes, those proposals have yet to gain enough traction to become law. As a result, Americans will continue the long-standing practice of adjusting their clocks twice a year.
The History Behind Daylight Saving Time
Daylight saving time was first introduced during World War I by Germany, in an effort to conserve energy by extending daylight hours. In the U.S., the practice was formally adopted with the Standard Time Act of 1918, which also established the country’s five time zones. Initially a temporary wartime measure, daylight saving time was designed to reduce energy consumption during the war.
In 1966, the Uniform Time Act established a consistent national standard for daylight saving time from the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. This was later adjusted in 2005 when President George W. Bush signed a law extending daylight saving time from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
Exceptions to the Rule
Not all states observe daylight saving time. Arizona and Hawaii, under federal law, have opted to remain on standard time year-round. While states can choose to stay on standard time, they cannot remain on daylight time without a change in federal law.
Daylight Saving Time in the U.S.
Daylight saving time has been implemented year-round twice in U.S. history—once during World War II for fuel conservation, and again in 1974 during an energy crisis. However, these experiments were short-lived, and the nation returned to the current system of changing clocks twice a year.
For now, Americans will continue the tradition of falling back and springing forward, at least through 2024.
