Last Sunday, Nov. 5, clocks fell back instead of moving forward as the daylight saving time ended for most part of the United States.
At 2 a.m., digital clocks turned back one hour, heralding the shift of daylight back into the morning hours. That also means an extra hour of sleep for weekenders.
While most computers and cell phones automatically changed their time, clocks, microwaves and cars needed to be manually adjusted.
The end of daylight saving time pushes back both the sunrise and sunset for an hour. While everyone could enjoy more light in the morning, that also means darkness will arrive earlier in the afternoon. Nine to five workers will have to get used to getting off beyond sunset.
Daylight saving time is not observed in the entire United States, which means there was no shift in time in Hawaii and Arizona. U.S. territories such as American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were not affected as well.
According to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the daylight saving time started on the second Sunday of March and ended on the first Sunday of November.
Germany was the first country to implement it in 1916 as an energy conservation trick, whith the United States following suit toward the end of the World War I. By the 1960s, it had become a national standard. The goal was to save energy by giving the idea of opening the lights only when the sun sets, which would be pushed back one hour around summer.
However, in a 2015 Vox article, Joseph Stromberg noted that the presumed electricity saving during this time is "unclear or nonexistent." According to studies, while the daylight saving time helps reduce the use of light and electricity in general, it slightly increases the use of heating, air conditioning and fuel.
