Over the weekend we turned the clocks ahead an hour and entered Daylight Saving Time, moving an hour of daylight from morning to evening and, in the process, saving a small amount of energy because we use less electricity for lighting and appliances.

The first person to suggest something like Daylight Saving Time was - believe it or not - Benjamin Franklin. The practice was adopted in the U.S. during World War One, but the law was unpopular and repealed after the war, mostly because people in those days rose earlier and went to bed earlier than we do today. The practice returned nationwide during World War Two, but in the decades after the war, each state was free to choose whether to keep using it. This lack of consistency caused tremendous confusion, especially for the broadcasting industry and railway, airline, and bus companies.

In 1966, Congress mandated that Daylight Saving Time begin on the last Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday of October. In 1986, the start time was moved to the first Sunday in April. But even today, some areas of the U.S. stay in Standard Time year-round, including Hawaii and parts of Indiana and Arizona.