The Reason Daylight Saving Time Begins (and Ends) at 2 a.m.
If you’re awake and staring at your smartphone in the early hours of Sunday, November 2, you’ll enjoy watching the time jump right from 1:59 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. The end of daylight saving time (DST) and the return to standard time (ST), of course, is the reason you’re getting an hour of sleep — but why this hour in particular?
Blame the trains
like time He explainsThe United States first adopted daylight saving time in 1918 as a way to conserve energy during World War I, following the example of England and Germany. When choosing the exact time to make the switch, officials were looking for a clock that could easily disappear without wreaking havoc on people’s schedules across the country. Since Amtrak trains don’t leave New York City on Sundays at 2 a.m., the loss of that hour seemed less important than any other train.
“Sunday morning at 2 a.m. was when (the time change) would cut the least amount of train travel across the country,” said Michael Downing, author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving TimeHe said time.
The United States did not observe daylight saving time after 1918—in part because many farmers opposed it—but it revived the tradition during World War II, and Congress formalized the practice in 1966 with a resolution Uniform time law (Which also created the time zones we use today.)
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Why do we still change clocks twice a year?
The reason the 2 a.m. start and end time for daylight saving time has remained standard over the years is not just because it prevents confusion among late-night train riders. Considering that most bars and restaurants will be closed by then, and the early shift workers won’t be up yet, it’s a pretty quiet hour across the board.
Although it exists It was movements To make daylight saving time permanent — which would essentially get rid of daylight saving time and the need to “turn back” the clocks every November — starting in 2025, there are no laws or formal policies that would end the semiannual time change. If you’re a big fan of Daylight Saving Time, even start counting down March 8, 2026: Then you will be able to “move forward” after that.
Wondering how daylight saving time will affect sunrise and sunset times in your area? And here A Draw a map So.
A version of this story was originally published in 2022; Updated for 2025.
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