Silly Willy suggested D.S.T.

Well I am not sure if it is where the phrase “Silly Willy” comes from but in researching the origin of Daylight Saving Time I learned that the first man to seriously propose the concept was called that often.
100 years ago, William Willet, of Britain, brought the idea up. He lobbied the government intensely but was only laughed at by the people and the politicians... that is until someone realized that they could save energy during WW I.
Although Silly Willy died in 1915, his concept came to life in 1916 when the British Parliament passed legislation to move the clock one hour ahead in the summer months. It was known as British Summer Time.
In 1918 the US congress followed suit placing that country on Daylight Saving Time for the remainder of WW I. However, the change provoked a staunch opposing rebellion. A large rural contingent argued that livestock did not adapt to the time change. They said they have their own internal clock thus making them difficult to get the fresh produce to town on time in the morning with the clocks set ahead. It was repealed seven months after it was implemented.
It wasn’t until WW II that DST was suggested again. It was again implemented to save energy during the war. But it was soon cancelled when the war ended. Some states kept it and some did not.
In 1966 the US passed the Uniform Time Act and DST became standard practise in most US states. Canadian Businesses pressured the Canadian government to follow suit and they did.
Now with the shortages of energy in the world, President George Bush, Jr., has decided that changing to DST earlier and back to standard time later will save the US a great deal of energy.
The idea being that if it is lighter in the evening most people will not burn as much electricity while getting their days work done.
Canada has opted to follow this move to again keep business flowing smoothly between the two countries.
One opponent of Silly Willy suggested that rather than changing the clocks, people should just get up an hour earlier each day.
–Until then,
Ken