Why do we have gmt and bst

When do the clocks change and why? Getty Images. Oops you can't see this activity! Why do we change the clocks? Benjamin Franklin, who first came up with the idea of moving the clocks according to daylight. Coldplay singer Chris Martin's great-great-grandfather is responsible for introducing the idea of moving the clocks in the UK. When did we start changing our clocks?

William Willett used to get cross when it got too dark for him to carry on playing golf. William Willett unfortunately died before he could see his idea introduced. What do people think of it? Not everyone thinks that changing the clocks the way that we do is a good idea. This year it was 28 October at 2am. It always takes place on the last Sunday in October. Since then, the process of switching between BST and GMT has undergone routine experimentation to establish how to make the most of daylight hours.

During historic times of fuel shortages, the clocks have been brought forward before the last Sunday in March to save energy, for instance. While there was a net reduction in transport deaths and injuries as a result of lighter evenings, the Government said it was impossible to quantify the advantages and disadvantages of the experiment so the switching between time zones continued.

He wanted to save on candle usage and get people out of bed earlier. More than one hundred years later, in , New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson suggested clocks be put forward two hours in the summer. The House of Commons essentially gave clock-changing its seal of approval in — the year after Willett passed away. But this has done little to stop campaigners citing the data as evidence that sticking with BST all year round would result in a safer Britain.

How fast can you think? How long is a light year and how short is a femtosecond? What does Greenwich Mean Time mean? Can you tell the time with flowers? When did time begin? This light-hearted, illustrated miscellany from Royal Observatory Greenwich goes a long way to answering some of these questions and also presents a whole range of other amazing facts and figures which show the influence of time on our daily lives Buy Now.

A stylish hour analogue clock that will make a statement on any wall, with its bold monochrome face, and matte black metal casing Berck Plage. During the s Wyllie exhibited a number of paintings of fisher folk on the coast of northern France where the family spent their summers Benjamin Franklin.

Sunset view from Cutty Sark. Visit us. The latest research estimates that around lives would be saved a year by preventing accidents in the dark evenings, it says. Economy: Even after Brexit, it would have the economic benefit of putting UK businesses in the same time zone as most of their European counterparts.

Environment: Cambridge University researchers also found that year-round BST would reduce CO2 pollution by at least , tonnes each year, the equivalent to more than 50, cars driving all the way around the world. Scotland: One of the biggest obstacles to change has come from Scotland, where MPs warned that the sun would not rise until 10am in some northern parts of the country. Alex Salmond once called the campaign an attempt to "plunge Scotland into morning darkness".

Dangers of darker mornings: The pro-BST crowd points to the dangers of dark evenings, but those against year-round BST have suggested that children walking to school in the mornings could face higher risks in the dark. Benefits for early risers: Lighter mornings have traditionally been supported by postal workers, the construction industry and farmers.

Those living in Scotland voice particular concerns about people having to travel to work in the dark. A YouGov survey found that a plurality of people think it is time to stop changing the clocks. For now, clocks will continue to change twice a year. Clocks will go back one hour again at 2am on 27 October, when we will gain an hour in bed.