It's that time of year again that people either love or hate,the changing of the clocks. Daylight Saving Time (DST) started out as a joke by a man known for his wit among many other things,Benjamin Franklin. In 1784 Franklin wrote a letter to the "Journal de Paris"suggesting that by waking up with the sun the people of Paris could save an immense sum of money by using sunshine instead of candles for their lighting needs. What everyone failed to realize was he wasn't serious the article was satirical,he went on to also suggest:
- There should be a tax implemented for every window with a shutter designed to keep out the sunlight.
- Guards should be posted at candle shops to limit the number of candles that families can buy.
- Guards should also stop all coaches in the streets after sunset.
- When the sun rises, every bell in every church should ring to wake up the city so that no daylight is wasted. For heavy sleepers, cannons should also be fired in the streets.
Franklin might have been kidding, but his concept was solid. More than a century later, a real DST was proposed. Stay tuned for the rest of the story tomorrow!
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