Spring forward one hour, Birmingham! The 2023 Daylight Saving Time switch takes place today, March 12th. It’s a trade-off that sees us lose an hour of sleep for the night in exchange for longer days with more sunlit hours to enjoy. Varying versions of adjusting our perception of time to increase our daylight moments have been used since some of the most ancient civilizations. The theory has always been to maximize productivity while reducing our consumption of valuable resources. The United States didn’t enact our official Daylight Saving Time until 1918, when Congress passed a 7-month measure to save resources during World War 1.
The United States again moved to year-round Daylight Saving Time during World War 2. After the war ended, each jurisdiction was able to decide for itself whether they wanted to continue DST or not. While this allowed for more regional freedoms, it created more complications and eventually resulted in the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Many Americans - including this writer - heard that Daylight Saving was primarily used for the benefit of our nation’s farmers which is not a true statement. DST is currently a heated debate amongst people of the United States and across the world. It is a topic that has been discussed by our politicians and could soon be changed - hopefully for longer daylight hours during the winter! (That would be permanent DST compared to permanent Standard Time, which the Uniform Time Act allows states to opt into if they choose to not rotate between the two time practices).
Since we are given the gift of longer daylight into the evenings - in addition to the days getting naturally longer as we enter the spring - Birminghamians might as well get out and enjoy some more sunshine! We have shared plenty of articles on hiking trails, date ideas, day trips, mural adventures, hobbies ranging from pickleball to mountain biking, and many other joyous activities that are even more fun with the longer daylight hours. Seasonal depression is a real thing. Colder days and shorter daytime hours can make someone feel a bit more blue than usual, but these longer sunny days can breathe life into us and showcase the beauty of our state in an even more fulfilling way than usual. We hope you’re able to get out and enjoy these longer days.
Cover Image from Pixabay
