Get ready to fall back: Daylight Saving Time will come to an end at 2 a.m. Sunday morning.
Daylight Saving Time first came to America in 1918, during Word War I, as a means to conserve fuel. The practice was then abolished following the war.
It returned during World War II, with year-round Daylight Saving Time adopted to help conserve resources. After the war's conclusion, Daylight Savings Time became optional until the Uniform Time Act of 1966 made all states observe Daylight Saving Time. Since then, Arizona and Hawaii have opted out of the law and do not practice Daylight Savings Time.
The entire country did temporarily observe Daylight Saving time from 1974 through 1975, due to the oil crisis.
The benefits of Daylight Saving Time have been debated since the start. The fuel savings, improved traffic safety, and reduced violent crime attributed to Daylight Saving Time are modest, at best. A National Bureau of Standards report from 1976 found that no significant effects could be attributed to Daylight Saving Time.
Fire departments around the country celebrate the end of Daylight Saving Time, as well: it's time to change the battery in smoke alarms.
Daylight Saving Time will return on March 9, 2014.
