Twice a year, clocks spring forward and fall back, disrupting our routines and sparking debate. The time change, a practice dating back to World War I, aims to conserve energy and promote outdoor activities. But is it still relevant today?

The debate rages on. Some argue it’s time to ditch the time change, citing health risks and minimal energy savings. Others see value in the tradition, promoting outdoor activities and economic growth. For many it’s just a bi-yearly hassle. In all reality it really doesn’t make much sense. There is no real benefit in it either way. It’s one of those things that we can live with or without, nothing positive or negative about it. Just something to make us stand around scratching our heads and thinking why are we doing this.

The concept of Daylight Saving Time actually dates back to 1784, when Benjamin Franklin joked about it in a satirical essay. Germany and Austria were the first to implement it in 1916, during World War I, to conserve energy, and the U.S. followed suit in 1918.

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 standardized DST in the US, allowing states to opt out. The law was amended in 2005 to extend DST by a month. From 1942-1945 we had year-round DST when it was (dubbed “War Time”) during WWII.

From 1973-1974 an Energy crisis prompted a year-round DST experiment, but it didn’t prove cost saving. It’s a reminder of that same time period when some genius decided we needed to spend millions of dollars to lower the speed limit to 55 mph on interstates. That was back when gas was cheap and we lined up for hours to buy gas, if you could find it. But that soon passed as well and the crisis was over. Oil and gas became plentiful like magic, (the cost of gas started rising) and soon we spent millions more changing the speed limit signs back to 70 mph.

DST’s impact varies across sectors, as for energy there are mixed results with some studies showing minimal savings. Health studies show disruptions to sleep patterns, and increased risks. Economic studies show benefits for retail, tourism, and outdoor activities, and Agriculture studies have a mixed impact, with some farmers opposing DST.

Every year leading up to the date, it becomes casual talk wherever you go. “Don’t forget to set your clocks up, or don’t forget to turn your clocks back.” No matter where you go, someone is bound to remind you. I mean how can we possibly forget when it’s such a big thing on everyone’s mind?

Grandma had a big clock on the wall and whenever she would set it to change the time a bird jumped out and called her cuckoo! My grandparents had a friend down the road from their farm who refused to change his clocks, he said he was too old for change and that he would only change his clocks when his cows and chickens changed theirs. Old timers would often share stories about the twice-yearly time change. Some of them can’t be repeated.

In the “Lawless” time zone days, before the Uniform Time Act of 1966, a one hour bus ride could take you through seven different time zones. Working just an hour away could mean a change in time as much as four hours. One man remembers working shift work and leaving home at 8 pm for the hoot owl shift (12-8).

So it might not be perfect changing time twice a year, but in some aspects it’s better.

Whatever your view, few can argue with an extra hour of daylight starting in March and an extra hour of sleep as winter approaches. It’s the best of both worlds!