Daylight saving time begins Mar 9, 2025

Daylight saving time begins

It"s the time of year again when clocks spring forward, stealing an hour of sleep but giving us longer evenings to enjoy. Daylight saving time (DST) starts today at 2 AM, except in Arizona and Hawaii, reminding us that time, quite literally, waits for no one. The idea is simple: maximizing daylight and reducing energy consumption by syncing our activities with the natural light cycle. This concept was popularized by Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century, though his suggestion to "save candles" was more satirical than a serious proposal. Fast-forward to the early 20th century, when many countries adopted DST to conserve fuel during wartime. The US officially standardized it in 1966 with the Uniform Time Act. Today, DST runs from March to November in around 70 countries, giving eight months of extended evening light.

© scaliger/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Mar 9, 2018The Door County Coastal Byway in Wisconsin
Mar 9, 2019Let the harvest begin
Mar 9, 2020This grizzly has Napping Day down
Mar 9, 2021Spring comes to the Diablo foothills
Mar 9, 2022Flower of Life symbol drawn in snow
Mar 9, 2023Waimea Canyon and Waipoo Falls, Kauai, Hawaii
Mar 9, 2024Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico
Mar 9, 2026Gray seal sleeping on the beach, Orkney Islands, Scotland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 1, 2018The Sky Over Nine Columns in Venice, Italy
Jun 18, 2025Pollinator Week
May 26, 2025Memorial Day
Dec 9, 2024Llama Day
Dec 11, 2019In the Himalayas for International Mountain Day
Oct 27, 2022Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy
Dec 9, 2018There’s treasure in them thar hills
May 8, 2025World Donkey Day
Oct 20, 2025International Sloth Day
Jan 7, 2021Of balloons and lost pantaloons
Mar 15, 2026Pacific Rim Whale Festival
Oct 10, 2025Visiting the Mamanuca Islands for Fiji Day
Oct 1, 2025Clark Range, Yosemite National Park, California
Feb 22, 2020It s not always sunny in Abu Simbel…
Jul 15, 2021A river runs through rice fields
Mar 5, 2020The desert blooms
Jan 25, 2020Happy New Year! (Again!)
Jan 7, 2019An avian predator built for the snow
Sep 16, 2025Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast
Dec 29, 2022Silver-studded blue butterflies
Jan 25, 2025Porto, Portugal
Jul 11, 2021Why, aloe there
May 30, 2024Everglades National Park marks 90 years
Feb 11, 2019There’s a dog in there somewhere
Oct 1, 2022Yosemite National Park turns 132
Jan 14, 2025Village of Zahara de la Sierra, Cadiz, Spain
Nov 29, 2019Opt outside today
Feb 28, 2025Tibetan New Year
Nov 23, 2025Fibonacci Day
Feb 6, 2020A hint of spring