As of: March 30, 2024, 9:22 a.m
By: Moritz Bletzinger
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Winter, summer – forward, back? The time change to summer time is coming up. In March the clock will be turned again. And the origin of the practice is curious.
Frankfurt – Twice a year the question comes up: Do I set the clock forward or back? On the last weekend of March 2024, the time will change to summer time - and the clock will move forward one hour on the night of March 30th to 31st. From two to three o'clock.
Time change to summer time: clock forward or backward? Memories help
To prevent the half-yearly mystery, there are a few mnemonics:
In spring, i.e. March, you put the garden furniture
outside
the door and in autumn you bring it
back
inside.
In spring we look forward
to summer , but in autumn we look
back
to summer
.
In spring you have to get up earlier because setting the clock forward “loses” an hour.
In March the temperatures slowly go towards
plus
again , but in autumn the thermometer points towards
minus
.
Spring for - fall back : Jump
forward
in spring (English: spring) , fall
back
in autumn (English: fall)
.
Maybe a sequence of numbers will help: the 2-3-2 rule. In March the clock is
moved forward
from 2 to 3 o'clock , and in October it
is moved back
to 2 o'clock
.
For many people, the problems with the time change only begin when the clock is set correctly. Many people suffer from mini jet lag. There are also helpful tips for getting through the first few days after the time change.
Changeover to summer time: At the end of March it's one hour ahead. © Christian Ohde/Imago
Switching between summer and winter time is unpopular
Perhaps two reasons why the practice of switching between summer and winter time is quite unpopular. The results of a 2023 survey by the polling institute YouGov showed that around 75 percent of Germans support abolishing the time change. Only a minority of 18 percent of participants were in favor of retaining it. However, Germans are not alone in sharing this opinion: a survey at EU level with 4.6 million participants in 2018 showed that 84 percent would prefer to abolish the time change. The majority expressed the wish to introduce summer time permanently.
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The idea of changing the time supposedly comes from a joke by Benjamin Franklin
According to the story, the idea of changing the time came from US founding father Benjamin Franklin - and was actually just a joke. In a wry letter to the
Journal of Paris,
Franklin presented a proposal to reduce lighting costs. The renowned inventor began by explaining that he had “discovered” that the sun rises at 6 a.m. in the summer, humorously drawing attention to his late riser habit. He wrote to the Journal: "Your readers, who, like me, have never seen any sign of sunshine before noon, will be as amazed as I was to hear of its rising so early."
His suggestion was simple: the French should simply get up as soon as daybreak and then go to sleep early in the evening. This would reduce the consumption of candles and therefore save money. In a pinch, canon blasts could help wake up the “slackers.”
(moe)
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