Spring Forward The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving
Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving by Michael Downing, published by Shoemaker & Hoard in 2005, explores the complexities and controversies surrounding Daylight Saving Time. This first edition, comprising 202 pages, delves into the historical debates and political maneuvers that have shaped this practice, which has persisted for nearly a century. Downing examines the various figures and motivations behind the implementation of changing clocks twice a year, presenting a narrative that intertwines humor with social science.
Readers will find a detailed exploration of public policy as it relates to Daylight Saving, highlighting the mix of unverified science and opportunism that has characterized its history. The book features a diverse cast of characters, including politicians, business leaders, and cultural figures, all contributing to the ongoing discourse about time and its regulation. Through this lens, Downing provides insight into the societal implications of this seemingly simple act of clock adjustment, making it a thought-provoking read for those interested in sociology and humor.
Official synopsis Publisher
Michael Downing is obsessed with Daylight Saving, the loopy idea that became the most persistent political controversy in American history. Almost one hundred years after Congressmen and lawmakers in every state first debated, ridiculed, and then passionately embraced the possibility of saving an hour of daylight, no one can say for sure why we are required by law to change our clocks twice a year. Who first proposed the scheme? The most authoritative sources agree it was a Pittsburgh industrialist, Woodrow Wilson, a man on a horse in London, a Manhattan socialite, Benjamin Franklin, one of the Caesars, or the anonymous makers of ancient Chinese and Japanese water clocks.
Spring Forward is a portrait of public policy in the 20th century, a perennially boiling cauldron of unsubstantiated science, profiteering masked as piety, and mysteriously shifting time-zone boundaries. It is a true-to-life social comedy with Congress in the leading role, surrounded by a supporting cast of opportunistic ministers, movie moguls, stockbrokers, labor leaders, sports fanatics, and railroad execs.
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