By: History.com Editors

1942

Daylight saving time instituted

History.com Editors

Published: November 05, 2009

Last Updated: January 25, 2025

Congress pushes ahead standard time for the United States by one hour in each time zone, imposing daylight saving time—called at the time “war time.”

Daylight Saving Time

While Daylight Savings is fairly harmless today, it's origins lie in one of the most violent episodes of world history.

Daylight saving time, suggested by President Roosevelt, was imposed to conserve fuel and could be traced back to World War I, when Congress imposed one standard time on the United States to enable the country to better utilize resources, following the European model.

The 1918 Standard Time Act was meant to be in effect for only seven months of the year—and was discontinued nationally after the war. But individual states continued to turn clocks ahead one hour in spring and back one hour in fall. The World War II legislation imposed daylight saving time for the entire nation for the entire year. It was repealed on Sept. 30, 1945, when individual states once again imposed their own “standard” time. It was not until 1966 that Congress passed legislation setting a standard time that permanently superseded local habits.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on February 9th

1773

William Henry Harrison is born

On February 9, 1773, future President William Henry Harrison is born on the Berkeley Plantation in Virginia.

1825

Presidential election decided in the House of Representatives

As no presidential candidate received a majority of electoral votes in the election of 1824, the U.S. House of Representatives votes to elect John Quincy Adams, who won fewer votes than Andrew Jackson in the popular election, as president of the United States. Adams was the son of John Adams, the second president of the United States.

1864

Union general George Custer marries

Union General George Armstrong Custer marries Elizabeth Bacon in Monroe, Michigan, while the young cavalry officer is on leave. “Libbie,” as she was known to her family, was a tireless defender of her husband’s reputation after his death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana in 1876, and her work helped establish him as an American hero.

1918

Ukraine signs peace treaty with Central Powers

The first peace treaty of World War I is signed when the newly declared independent state of Ukraine officially comes to terms with the Central Powers at 2 a.m. in Berlin, Germany, on February 9, 1918.

1942

The S.S. Normandie catches fire

On February 9, 1942, the largest and most luxurious ocean liner on the seas at that time, France’s S.S. Normandie, catches fire while in the process of being converted for military use by the United States.

1950

Senator McCarthy says communists are in State Department

During a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, Senator Joseph McCarthy (Republican-Wisconsin) claims that he has a list with the names of over 200 members of the Department of State that are “known communists.” The speech vaulted McCarthy to national prominence and sparked a nationwide hysteria about subversives in the American government.

1960

Coors brewery heir is kidnapped

Adolph Coors disappears while driving to work from his Morrison, Colorado, home. The grandson of the Coors’ founder and chairman of the Golden, Colorado, brewery was kidnapped and held for ransom before being shot to death. Surrounding evidence launched one of the FBI’s largest manhunts: the search for Joe Corbett.

1964

America meets the Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show”

At approximately 8:12 p.m. Eastern time, Sunday, February 9, 1964, The Ed Sullivan Show returned from a commercial (for Anacin pain reliever), and there was Ed Sullivan standing before a restless crowd. He tried to begin his next introduction, but then stopped and extended his arms in the universal sign for “Settle Down.” “Quiet!” he said with mock gravity, and the noise died down just a little. Then he resumed: “Here’s a very amusing magician we saw in Europe and signed last summer….Let’s have a nice hand for him—Fred Kaps!”

1971

Satchel Paige nominated to Baseball Hall of Fame

On February 9, 1971, pitcher Leroy “Satchel” Paige becomes the first Negro League veteran to be nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame. In August of that year, Paige, a pitching legend known for his fastball, showmanship and the longevity of his playing career, which spanned five decades, was inducted. Joe DiMaggio once called Paige “the best and fastest pitcher I’ve ever faced.”

Portrait of Satchel Paige

1992

Magic Johnson returns for All-Star Game

After stunning the world three months earlier with the news he had contracted the HIV virus and was immediately retiring from the Los Angeles Lakers, basketball great Magic Johnson returns to play in the 42nd NBA All-Star game in Orlando, Florida, where the crowd greeted him with a standing ovation.

1995

Bernard Harris becomes the first Black man to walk in space

NASA astronaut Bernard Harris becomes the first Black man to walk in space. His mission contributes to a burgeoning collaboration between the United States and Russia in space exploration.

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Citation Information

Article title
Daylight saving time instituted
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
March 22, 2025
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
January 25, 2025
Original Published Date
November 05, 2009

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