1918 Standard Time Act facts for kids

The Standard Time Act, also known as the Calder Act, was an important law passed in the United States in 1918. It was the very first federal law that officially set up standard time zones across the country. This law also introduced Daylight saving time in the United States for a period.

What is the Standard Time Act?

The Standard Time Act was a law that helped organize time across the United States. Before this law, different towns and cities might have set their clocks slightly differently, which could cause confusion, especially for trains and travel. This act aimed to create a more uniform system.

Why Do We Need Standard Time?

Imagine if every town had its own unique time! It would be very hard to plan train schedules, make appointments, or even know when a TV show was starting if you lived in a different city. Standard time zones help everyone in a certain area use the same time. This makes travel, communication, and business much easier and more organized. The Standard Time Act helped make sure that everyone's clocks were mostly in sync within their specific time zone.

What is Daylight Saving Time?

The Standard Time Act also included a part about Daylight Saving Time. This is when clocks are moved forward by an hour in the spring and then back by an hour in the fall. The idea behind Daylight Saving Time is to make better use of daylight. By shifting the clocks, evenings have more daylight, which can save energy and give people more time for outdoor activities after work or school.

Who Managed the Time Zones?

The law gave the job of defining and managing these time zones to a group called the Interstate Commerce Commission. This commission was responsible for making sure the time zones were set up correctly and that the system worked smoothly across the country. They had to decide where each time zone would begin and end.

What Happened to Daylight Saving?

Even though the Standard Time Act introduced Daylight Saving Time, that part of the law didn't last forever. Just a few years later, in 1919, the section about Daylight Saving Time was removed by another law. This new law was called An Act For the repeal of the daylight-saving law. This meant that Daylight Saving Time was no longer a federal requirement, though it would be brought back in different forms later on.