Nights have been getting longer since the autumnal equinox. As the skies get darker and we get closer to November, our clocks will fall back soon.
When do we change our clocks to fall back? Why did daylight saving time start? And why did permanent daylight saving time quickly fail in the United States? Here's what to know.
When does daylight saving time end in 2026? When does it start in 2027?
Daylight saving time will end at 2 a.m. on November 1, 2026, according to Old Farmer's Almanac. So, set a reminder to turn back your microwave and coffeepot clocks this weekend.
Daylight saving time will begin again on March 14, 2027.
Where did daylight saving start? When did the U.S. begin observing it?
According to CBS, the first clocks to roll back were in Germany in 1916. They did this to test the theory that it could conserve electricity by shifting an hour of sunlight to limit the use of artificial
light.
Soon, European countries followed. By 1918, the U.S. started to use daylight savings time, but in 1919, Congress repealed this practice after it was vetoed by then-President Woodrow Wilson. However, states had the option to continue observing daylight saving time.
The Uniform Time Act of 1966 established a uniform system to observe daylight saving time in the U.S.
The U.S. permanent daylight saving, but it quickly failed
During Richard Nixon's presidency, Congress wanted to save energy and tried to make daylight saving a permanent year-round observance after the oil embargo starting in October 1973, according to History.com. They estimated saving the equivalent of an estimated 150,000 barrels of oil per day.
Nixon then signed the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act on December 15, 1973, with the law enacting permanent daylight sabing time taking effect January 6, 1974.
Within weeks, however, public approval for permanent daylight saving time, which reached roughly 72% in December 1973, dropped to 49% by February 1974, according to History, as sunrise didn't happen until 9 a.m. in some places in the middle of the winter. Newspapers reported disorientation among students and workers. Additionally, some children were killed going to school after being struck on the road before dawn. Schools began starting later to keep children safe, and an insurance company handed out reflectors for students to wear.
Public opinion led Congress to repeal the act, and President Gerald Ford signed the amendment on October 5, 1974, ending the United States' experiment with permanent daylight saving time.
Will Congress end the 'fall back' time change, enact permanent daylight saving time?
In a bi-partisan vote, the House in July 2026 passed a bill that would enact permanent daylight saving time once again. However, the legislation has not moved beyond a Senate committee that counts Ohio's Bernie Moreno among its members, and Congress is out of session until after Election Day, meaning no official action will happen before daylight saving time ends in 2026.
What does daylight saving time end mean?
Daylight saving time end means that it’s time to set our clocks back one hour.
Unlike spring and summer, when the Northern Hemisphere receives more sunlight, we have longer nights during the fall and winter. The sun will set earlier in the day for the remainder of the fall, thanks in part to the time change, making it darker earlier in the day.
What U.S. states don't observe daylight saving time?
Arizona and Hawaii don’t observe daylight saving time.
Additionally, several U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, also do not observe daylight saving time.
Why does daylight saving time start and end at 2 a.m.?
According to Reader's Digest, the real reason we change our clocks at 2 a.m. twice a year is to prevent confusion. It stems from railroad schedules during WWI, when trains didn't run that early in the day and thus would not need to adjust their schedules to accommodate the time change.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Is it time to turn clocks back? Why permanent daylight saving time failed
