Why do the clocks go back?
As the nights grow longer and the temperatures distinctly colder, there’s no mistaking the fact that winter is just around the corner. But a lot of people find the rigmarole of changing the clocks twice a year just a little tedious. So when do the clocks go back - and, more importantly, why? This year, clocks will go back on October 31st as we prepare for the arrival of the colder, darker months. Putting the clocks back ahead of the winter essentially means that people can start and end their workday an hour earlier. The idea was first proposed in 1895, by New Zealand scientist George Vernon Hudson. Just over 20 years later, during World War I, the German government put clocks forward to conserve energy. Other governments, including Britain, soon did the same. Almost every year, there’s a debate about whether we should change the clocks at all. Those against the practice say it disrupts sleep cycles - with potential implications for health - and that return commutes in the evening are riskier in the dark.
But if we left the clocks where they were, morning commutes may be more dangerous as our mornings would be darker. So, it seems daylight savings time is here to stay.
