Welcome to the Now I Know's new design! As I noted a few times earlier, this is a long time coming. (You can read more about the back story here .) There are a few things I'm still working out, so small things will change over the course of the next few days. And love it or hate it, feel free to let me know. - Dan

Pumpkin Saving Time

Before 1966, Daylight Saving Time in the United States was set via a patchwork of state and local laws, often causing conflict and confusion. While there are some exceptions -- states can choose not to participate in Daylight Saving Time at all (and Arizona and Hawaii do just that) -- the Uniform Time Act, passed by Congress in 1966, standardized Daylight Saving Time across the nation. As set forth by the Uniform Time Act, Daylight Saving Time began on the last Sunday in April and ended on the last Sunday in October. But the Act has been amended twice since. First, in 1986, the beginning of Daylight Saving Time was shifted to the first Sunday in April, taking effect the next year. Later, in 2005, both the start and end dates were changed (effective 2007). Daylight Saving Time was to begin a few weeks earlier, at the second Sunday in March; and end a week later than previously, at the first Sunday in November.



While the second part of the second change seems curious -- after all, it pushes Daylight Saving Time's end date back merely a week --one of the forces behind the change is, at best, unexpected: candy pumpkins, like the ones seen below.

