26/10/2025
A brief history of daylight saving time
The idea of changing the clocks has developed over centuries, with contributions from inventors, scientists and governments. Here's how it all began...
Benjamin Franklin: A light-hearted suggestion (1784)
While living in Paris, Franklin wrote a satirical letter suggesting that people could save money on candles by waking earlier to use natural daylight. He did not propose changing the clocks, but his idea encouraged others to think about how daylight could be better used.
George Vernon Hudson: A scientific proposal (1895)
In New Zealand, entomologist George Hudson wanted more daylight after work to collect insects. He formally proposed a two-hour time shift to the Wellington Philosophical Society. Although his idea was taken seriously, it was not widely adopted at the time.
William Willett: A British campaigner (1907)
British builder William Willett noticed how much daylight was wasted in the mornings. He published a pamphlet titled The Waste of Daylight, proposing that clocks be moved forward in spring and back in autumn. His campaign gained support from politicians, including Winston Churchill, but Willett died before his idea became law.
World War I: A practical solution (1916)
Germany was the first country to officially adopt daylight saving time to conserve fuel during the war. Britain followed soon after, introducing British Summer Time in May 1916. However, it was Canada beat everyone to it. In 1908 residents of Port Arthur (now known as Thunder Bay) Ontario, turned their clocks forward one hour to start the world’s first daylight savings time.
British Double Summertime: 1941 to 1945
These days our clocks go forward one hour in spring, known as Daylight Saving Time. However, during the Second World War, Britain moved clocks forward by two hours to maximise daylight. In winter, clocks stayed at GMT + 1 to make the most of the natural light. Known as Double Summertime, this was to support wartime productivity and reduce energy consumption.
Why do we use GMT?
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) was established in the 19th century to create a standard time across Britain. Before this, towns kept their own local time based on the position of the sun, which caused confusion, especially for railway timetables!
As train travel became more widespread, the need for a unified time system became clear. In 1847, the Railway Clearing House adopted GMT for all timetables, and by 1880 it was legally recognised as the official time across the UK.
Today, GMT remains the standard time during the winter months, while British Summer Time (BST) is used in the summer.
GMT isn't only used in Britain. It's also the basis for the global system of time zones!
