Senate House State Historic Site

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This poster promotes the law that established daylight savings time or "summer" time. The idea of setting clocks ahead by one hour during the lighter months of the year was suggested as early as the 18th century, but was not implemented nationally until March 31, 1918. The daylight hour was added in the evenings to encourage longer work days. Although Germany and Austria enacted "summer" time in 1916, the United States waited until it had actively entered World War I. Due to its unpopularity, the law was repealed in 1919, when "saving daylight" became optional by locality. The law, reinstituted in 1942 during World War II, became optional from 1945 to 1966, when it once again became law. Today, several states and localities still refuse to participate in daylight savings time.

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This poster promotes the law that established daylight savings time or "summer" time. The idea of setting clocks ahead by one hour during the lighter months of the year was suggested as early as the 18th century, but was not implemented nationally until March 31, 1918. The daylight hour was added in the evenings to encourage longer work days. Although Germany and Austria enacted "summer" time in 1916, the United States waited until it had actively entered World War I. Due to its unpopularity, the law was repealed in 1919, when "saving daylight" became optional by locality. The law, reinstituted in 1942 during World War II, became optional from 1945 to 1966, when it once again became law. Today, several states and localities still refuse to participate in daylight savings time.