During his time as an American envoy to France, Benjamin Franklin, author of the proverb, "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise", anonymously published a letter suggesting that Parisians economize on candles by rising earlier to use morning sunlight.
The prominent English builder and outdoorsman William Willett invented DST in 1905 during one of his pre-breakfast horseback rides, when he observed with dismay how many Londoners slept through the best part of a summer day. An avid golfer, he also disliked cutting short his round at dusk. His solution was to advance the clock during the summer months, a proposal he published two years later. He lobbied unsuccessfully for the proposal until his death in 1915.
Germany, its World War I allies, and their occupied zones were the first European nations to use Willett's invention, starting April 30, 1916. Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit, Russia and a few other countries waited until the next year, and the United States adopted it in 1918.
And we're still doing this non-sense. Okay it's non-sense in the Spring when I'm robbed of an hour. But it's a fantastic idea when I get it back in the Fall.
I wonder if BF also said "The early bird catches the worm". He doesn't look like anyone catching a worm. As a matter of fact he looks like he caught a seven course meal a time or two. He was, however, wealthy and wise. I don't know much of his health. I do know he had some hair issues though.
Welcome to the family Jr. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.
