JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Prepare to have all clocks around your home changed this weekend, as the clock moves ahead once again in time for spring this Sunday on March 8.
In a long standing, global tradition first implemented during the first World War, Daylight Savings Time (DST) is to make its return for 2026, and many across social media are helping to spread the word. Payton Malone, Meteorologist for WWL-TV in New Orleans, Louisiana, took to Facebook to help spread awareness of the upcoming time change.
“In two weeks we spring forward one hour and begin daylight saving time,” Malone posted. “We lose an hour of sleep that night, but then sunrises and sunsets will happen later. Our sunsets will be after 7 p.m. starting March 8.”
DST was first invented in 1895 by New Zealand scientist George Vernon Hudson, who presented the concept of two-hour shift changes within both March and October every year. Years later in 1905, British builder William Willett presented a new idea to have the clocks move forward every 20 minutes each Sunday of April and shift backwards 20 minutes every Sunday in September. DST was not officially implemented globally until World War 1, where Germany and Austria began practicing DST in order to conserve fuel utilized for artificial lighting during the war.
Today, many countries including, the U.S., continue to practice DST to make additional usage of sunlight during the spring, summer, and early to mid-fall months. However, not all states in the U.S. practice DST. Hawaii and Arizona are the only two states which do not practice Daylight Savings every year. Additionally, several U.S. owned territories, such as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, don’t change the clocks every year. Thirteen nations across the world also negate the tradition of using DST, such as Russia, Iran, Armenia, and Jordan, who don’t practice the seasonal time shift.
All clocks are to change across all time zones at 2 a.m. Sunday.
Photo by Nino Souza