Benjamin Franklin: Benjamin Franklin, living in Paris, first conceived the notion of daylight saving time. He wrote that he was awakened early and was surprised that the sun was up, well before his usual noon rising. He humorously described how he checked the next two days and found that, yes, it actually did rise so early every day. Imagine, he said, how many candles could be saved if people awakened earlier, and he whimsically suggested firing cannons in each square at dawn "to wake the sluggards and open their eyes to their true interest."

William Willett: British builder William Willett was up early for his pre-breakfast horseback ride in 1905. He lamented how few people were enjoying the "best part of a summer day", and he came up with the idea of moving the clocks forward in summer to take advantage of the bright beautiful mornings and to give more light in the evening. He fought for years to introduce DST in Britain, but died never seeing his idea come to fruition.