Twice during the year our bodies get bamboozled as we change our clocks.  So, whose "bright idea" was this anyway?  In 1784, Benjamin Franklin presented an essay entitled, "An Economical Project." However, not until World War I was his idea taken very seriously.  In 1916 and 1917, many European countries began a daylight savings plan in order to conserve fuel.  The United States finally practiced Franklin's plan in 1918 for seven months.  Though President Wilson wanted DST to continue, the law was repealed and given as an option for local governments.  On two other occasions in America's history DST has been mandated.  President Roosevelt enforced a year-round DST, or "War Time," during the Second World War, and President Nixon, in the 70's, introduced the Emergency Daylight Saving Time.

From 1919 until 1966, DST was not uniformly recognized in the United States.  Each local government established its own methods for saving daylight, causing much confusion with interstate commerce.  However, The Uniform Time Act of 1966 provided consistency as President Lyndon Johnson established guidelines for DST observance.