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

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 30, 2021Giving Tuesday
Oct 24, 2022Diwali lights in Guwahati, India
Oct 27, 2021Pumpkin patch
Feb 23, 2022Point Reyes National Seashore
Aug 14, 2025Cable car station, Graubünden, Switzerland
Nov 4, 2021Diwali
Dec 7, 2020In memory of those lost
Apr 22, 2021Gazing down on planet Earth
Aug 18, 2021Pearl of the Adriatic
Apr 26, 2020Red skies at Ruby Beach
Aug 26, 2019Classical music takes center stage
Jul 14, 2022Shark Awareness Day
Jul 26, 2022Mangrove Conservation Day
Jul 8, 2025Seceda, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy
May 29, 2024World Otter Day
Aug 11, 2019Storm rolls over the grasslands
Jul 3, 2020Dog days of summer
Jun 17, 2025Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia
Jan 28, 2024Channel Country, Australia
Nov 16, 2024Wadden Sea coast, Friesland, Netherlands
Nov 13, 2018Autumn’s swan song
Nov 24, 2022Happy Thanksgiving!
Dec 12, 2022Poinsettia Day
Apr 4, 2021A yearly sign that spring has sprung
Nov 12, 2025Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Feb 24, 2025Group of giant cuttlefish, Whyalla, South Australia
Apr 6, 2022Crested caracaras
Nov 21, 2025World Hello Day
Jan 23, 2022Wedded Rocks, Japan
Oct 12, 2020Indigenous Peoples Day