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American inventor, writer, statesman and diplomat Benjamin Franklin is the man credited (or blamed) with first bringing up the notion of daylight saving time.
In a 1794 letter to the editor of The Journal of Paris, Franklin suggested that waking up earlier in the morning in the summer would save on candle usage. Ol' Ben was kidding, we think, as his letter is described as "satirical" in tone.
Nevertheless, the idea that better use could be made of daylight hours was one that resonated with scientists and governments throughout the English-speaking world in the 19th century. George Hudson, an entomologist in New Zealand, first proposed a daylight saving time system in 1895. in 1908, British member of parliament Robert Pearce proposed the first daylight saving bill in the House of Commons. It did not pass but the idea caught on.
The first city in the world to officially adopt daylight saving time was Port Arthur, Ont., which did so on July 1, 1908. The idea spread elsewhere and the daylight saving time system we know today was largely in place by the end of the Second World War.
Not all countries and jurisdictions use DST. and it seems that every spring we hear from people unhappy that they have lost an hour of sleep or complaining that their children and pets are cranky and out of their routines.
I bring all this up as a long-winded way of warning you that DST is coming our way, folks.
Let this newsletter be your reminder that you should all move your clocks ahead one hour at 2 a.m. on Sun., March 13. Standard time will resume on Sun., Nov. 6.
I enjoy longer spring and summer evenings, as they allow more light for outdoor sports and activities — but I know there are many among us who would prefer that our clocks stay the same all year.
Something else I'd like to remind you of before I go is that Tues., March 8 is International Women's Day. This year's theme is a social media hashtag — #Breakthebias — and you can find out more here. You can also see our event listings in the newsletter below for a snapshot of some of the events planned for IWD in Winnipeg.
If you want to learn what's going on in and around the city this week, please visit our online Events listings page, and if you would like to add your listings, use the event submission page.
And if someone has forwarded this newsletter to you and you'd like to receive it, you can sign up to have it delivered to your inbox here.
John Kendle, Managing editor, Canstar Community News
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