ATLANTA — Twice a year, in most of the 50 states anyway, millions of Americans go through the chore of adjusting their clocks and watches either forward or backward for daylight saving time.
Here are a few things you might not know about daylight saving time:
1.
Though we are currently falling back time-wise, daylight saving time will spring forward March 10.
2.
Daylight saving time is not observed by Arizona, Hawaii and four U.S. territories: American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
3.
Daylight saving time was used during World War I, according to several historical sources, as a way to reserve fuel.
4.
A report from the University of Virginia suggests there is an uptick in street crime, especially robbery, when clocks are turned back. Officials in DeKalb County and at the Atlanta Police Department say they have no local data to support the university’s findings.
5.
In 2012, a University of Alabama researcher suggested springing forward could present health challenges, including an increase in the potential for heart attacks.
6.
Some believe it is cheaper to turn the clocks back than forward. A 2008 study conducted by the University of California Energy Institute focused on households in Indiana and concluded a $9 million increase in electricity bills could be attributed to moving the time forward.
This article was written by Michelle E. Shaw and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Cox Media Group
