Time Differences

The continental U.S. is divided into 4 different time zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific. The zones differ by one hour, the east coast being 3 hours ahead (or later) than the west coast. For example, if it is 10:00 a.m. in New York, it is 7:00 a.m. in San Francisco.

India is 10.5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time <EST>, 11.5 hours ahead of Central Standard Time <CST>, 12.5 hours ahead of Mountain Standard Time <MST>, and 13.5 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time <PST>.

It was not until 1883 that time zones were adopted by the railroads in the United States to standardize their schedules. In 1884, Canadian Sir Sandford Fleming, helped to establish an international standard for keeping time through the International Prime Meridian Conference. That system is still in use today. The U.S. government did not adopt these railway time zones until 1918. Responsibility for Time Zone law has rested with the U.S. Department of Transportation since its creation in 1966. Prior to that time, it was under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Daylight Saving Time : Spring Forward - Fall Back

India is 9.5 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time <EDT>, 10.5 hours ahead of Central Daylight Time <CST>, 11.5 hours ahead of Mountain Daylight Time <MST>, and 12.5 hours ahead of Pacific Daylight Time <PST>.

Daylight Saving Time, ostensibly, moves one hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. Studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation during the 1970s revealed that this shift of daylight hours reduced the use of electricity in the United States by approximately one percent each day.

Statesman and inventor, Benjamin Franklin, first suggested the idea of shifting time to save energy in an essay entitled "An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light," published in the Journal de Paris (April 1784). More than one hundred years later, the idea was revisited by Englishman William Willet. While Willet's initial proposal was cumbersome, the concept survived and in 1916 an Act of Parliament caused clocks to be moved ahead one hour during the summer months. During the two World Wars, both England and the United States used Daylight Saving Time to conserve energy. England moved clocks two hours ahead of GMT for the summer months and one hour ahead for winter months during World War II. The U.S. Congress reinstated Daylight Saving Time in early 1942 and it remained, year round, until September 30, 1945.

From 1945 to 1966 there was no law regarding Daylight Saving Time. States and municipalities changed made their own decisions about changing their clocks. This caused widespread confusion among the broadcasting and transportation industries, however. The Uniform Time Act was enacted in 1966 to standardize Daylight Saving Time between the last Sunday of April and the last Sunday of October. It was possible for any area to override this act through local ordinance. In 1986, the Act was amended to begin Daylight Saving Time on the first Sunday of April.

United States Daylight Saving Time is NOT observed in American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, most of the Eastern Time Zone portion of the State of Indiana, and the state of Arizona (excluding the Navajo Indian Reservation, which does observe the time change). Navajo Nation primarily observes the Daylight Saving Time because of its large size and its location in three states.

Before going to sleep the night before the first Sunday in April, set clocks ahead one hour.

Before going to sleep the night before the last Sunday in October, set clocks back one hour.

The time actually changes at 2:00 a.m. local time, which becomes 3:00 a.m. in the Spring and becomes 1:00 a.m. in the Autumn.

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