We gain an hour of sleep tomorrow, Sunday, October 30, as with the change of time we will turn the hands of our clocks back one hour.
Specifically, in the early hours of Sunday October 30, at 04:00 in the morning, we turn our clocks back one hour, to 03:00.
The last time change was scheduled for March 2021, with member states in the European Union being asked to choose one of two zones (winter or summer). However, the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine set back the plan.
Unless there is a last minute decision, the time change will be permanent in October. In particular, on the last Sunday of October (30/10) we turn back our clocks in order to start winter time.
This will happen at 04:00 in the morning, with the clocks - after the change - showing 03:00.
Time change: The decision of the European Parliament to abolish it which was not implemented
In March 2019, the European Parliament had voted in favor of ending this practice, i.e. adjusting the clocks by one hour in the spring and autumn, from 2021. "The time change must be abolished" the then head of the European Parliament had declared in 2018 of Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, after a relevant online survey across the EU. 84% of those who took part in it agreed with the end of this practice.
The "effects" of the time change on the biological clock, such as the difficulty in immediate adaptation, also played an important role in this decision of public opinion.
The "father" of time change
Daylight Saving Time, DST, is the time change that a state chooses to adopt for a period of the year.
This change is generally one hour ahead of solar time. It is based on a system that aims to make the best use of daylight to save energy.
It is highlighted that the portion of the world's population that chooses to turn the hands of their clocks every six months, as almost all Asian and African countries do not participate.
The idea is attributed to Benjamin Franklin as far back as 1784 so that more natural light would be available during the summer months.
A century later William Willett, a British businessman involved in construction, supported this proposal. Willett had even written on the subject in 1907 under the title Waste of Daylight, but ultimately failed to convince the British government.
The current time change, as we know it today, was based on the more scientific approach of the New Zealand entomologist, George Hudson. He noticed that the longer daylight hours in the summer months helped him collect more insects. Thus, he made the relevant proposal in 1895.
Source: cnn.gr