When do we “fall back” for daylight saving time 2024, and why does the time change twice a year?

The end to daylight saving time is just around the corner, meaning clocks in most parts of the U.S. will “fall back” one hour on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. Here’s what to know about daylight saving time, and why we change our clocks twice a year.

When is daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time, when we turned our clocks forward one hour, began on March 10 this year. Daylight saving ends on Nov. 3, when clocks get turned back one hour. 

The switch happens at 2 a.m. local time. 

So, at 1:59:59 a.m. on Nov. 3, your digital clocks, like the one on your cellphone, will not jump to 2 a.m. — they will fall back to 1 a.m. You will need to reset your analog clocks and any clocks that do not automatically adjust.

This means we will gain an hour — unlike the springtime change to daylight saving time, when we lose an hour of sleep. It will mean that the sun sets an hour earlier in the evening and rises an hour earlier in the morning. 

For example, in New York City, the sun will set at 5:50 p.m. on Nov. 2, but the following day, once daylight saving time ends on Nov. 3, the sun will set at 4:49 p.m. 

The history of daylight saving time

Time zones in the U.S. were established by the Standard Time Act in 1918, which also introduced daylight savings, according to the U.S. Astronomical Application Department, a part of the U.S. Naval Observatory. The law was so controversial, daylight saving time was repealed in 1919, reinstated during World War II, and went on to become a state and local decision.

But the the Uniform Time Act of 1966 made it a federal law again, although the start and end dates have changed over the years. Since 2007, daylight saving time in the U.S. starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

While the idea of switching the clocks to rely more on sunlight is often attributed to Ben Franklin, The Franklin Institute disputes this, saying he merely suggested people in Paris change their sleep schedules so they save money on candles and lamp oil.

The institute credits New Zealand entomologist George Hudson, who presented the idea in 1895 because he wanted more daylight in the evenings.

The National Conference of State Legislatures, however, attributes the idea to British builder William Willett. While Hudson wanted more daylight to hunt insects, Willett, they say, wanted it so he could play more golf.

Which states don’t observe daylight saving?

Hawaii and most of Arizona do not switch their clocks for daylight saving time, choosing to stay on standard time only.

A majority of countries in Europe and North America observe daylight saving time, though not all follow the exact same schedule. Many countries in the Southern Hemisphere do as well, but their timing is different because their summer occurs during our winter months. 

Will the practice of changing the clocks for daylight saving ever end?

In 2022, the Senate passed a bill called the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent. The bill was backed by 17 bipartisan cosponsors, including Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who has long argued we should stop “falling back” in November and keep daylight saving time year round.

“This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid. Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support. This Congress, I hope that we can finally get this done,” Rubio, a Republican, said in a statement.

Rep. Vern Buchanan, also a Republican from Florida, introduced similar legislation in the House, saying there are “enormous health and economic benefits to making daylight saving time permanent.”

However, time ran out on the House bill in 2023 after it was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce.