Daylight Savings Time is Here!
Posted by GV Rotary
on Mar 10, 2013
- We’ve all heard the term ‘vernal equinox’. Vernal means ‘spring’ and equinox means ‘equal night’. Both words are from Latin.
- Despite the term, the day when there are 12 equal hours of daylight and darkness usually happens before the first day of spring.
- The first day of spring in the southern hemisphere is the date of the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere, usually in September.
- Benjamin Franklin was the first American to propose Dalylight Saving Time in 1784. However, it wasn’t fully implemented in the US until after the Second World War.
- The practice of starting Daylight Saving Time on the second Sunday in March in the US started in 2005.
- Daylight Saving Time starts and ends at different times around the world.
- In Europe, Daylight Saving Time is known as Summer Time.
- The reason that there’s more daylight during spring is that the earth’s axis tilts towards the sun at this time of year.
- Some of the plants that have strong associations with spring include dandelions, daffodils, lilies, primroses, hyacinths, tulips, azaleas, iris and lilacs.
- Dandelions originated in Asia.
- Several singers have sung about spring including Van Morrison (Celtic Spring), Billie Holiday (Some Other Spring) and Frank Sinatra (Suddenly it’s Spring).
- Animals and insects associated with spring include the rabbit, frog, deer, fox, bear, bee, butterfly, ladybug and hummingbird.
- Spring fever is not just a myth – the body may experience physiological changes due to changes in diet, hormone production and temperature.
- Melting snow and additional rain may cause more flooding in spring.
- Children grow faster in spring.
- Spring is when birds return home after migrating in winter. About 1800 bird species migrate.