Daylight Saving: The surprising story behind why we change our clocks

Forever Ago

Lemonada Media

History, Kids & Family, Education For Kids

4.4 • 5.3K Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2026

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Twice a year, many countries move their clocks by an hour. But why? It turns out humans have been messing with minutes and hours for centuries. Join Joy and co-host Rehema as they explore the history of Daylight Saving, from a bug hunter who wanted more daylight for collecting insects to a World War where every hour of light was precious.Find our Brains On episode about the science behind Daylight Saving Time here or wherever you get your podcasts!Click here to read a transcript of this episode. Want to support the show? Join Smarty Pass to listen to ad-free episodes or donate! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Brains on Universe
0:04.0	Rubber band, please.
0:07.0	Here you go.
0:08.0	Thank you. Pass the yo-yo?
0:10.0	Here you, go-go.
0:12.0	Bucket of slime.
0:14.0	Oh, this thing is...
0:18.0	...heave.
0:19.0	You're right, but we're going to need it all.
0:25.1	Remind me again, what are you planning to do with all this?
0:29.5	I have to build a new alarm system to remind me to wind my clock back.
0:34.4	Twice a year we have to adjust our clocks and I always forget. Or hit snooze again and again and
0:41.0	again. Oh yeah, daylight saving time. All they sneaks up on you. Yeah. Last year I even tried to
0:49.3	hire and knock her up, someone to come knock on my window to wake me up, but she forgot to rewind her
0:55.3	clock.
0:56.4	Classic Elizabeth.
0:58.1	But I simply won't get got this time, not on my watch, my watch that has to spring
1:04.0	forward, which I will remember thanks to my handy, dandy alarm.
1:09.2	How's it going to work?
1:10.4	If all goes according to plan,
1:12.5	I'm imagining it'll go a little something like this.
1:16.4	My alarm bell goes off.
	...

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