Time Zones

Time - the tick tock of the world that has us all marching from morning to night. But we didn't always have time zones. How did people keep it together?  

Locally, someone was responsible to set the town clock to noon at high noon. From that clock, the citizens set their watches.

But what about going from New York to Kansas? 

Before the trains, that really wasn't a huge issue. But once the trains came along and people could easily travel hundreds of miles a day, time became more of an issue.

In 1878, a Canadian, Sir Sanford Fleming proposed 24 time zones marked 15 degrees of longitude apart.

In 1883, the United States railroad adopted Fleming's time zones to keep the trains running and people to follow the schedules. 

In 1884,  a conference was held in Washington D C to set the zero hour in Greenwich England.  GMT

Of course, now, we have the added fun of daylight savings time to confuse us all.  

Another interesting fact, China uses a single time zone for its massive country which spans over 5 time zones.  Talk about collective think. 

So. that's a brief history of the time zones.  Next time you see a train give them a high-five for bringing about the use of time zones in the USA.
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Have a blessed day - no matter what time zone you're in.  : )
Patricia PacJac Carroll

My latest book is Summer's Love - A Belles of Wyoming book.  If you're looking for a fun, lighthearted clean and sweet romance, Summer's Love is ready for your reading pleasure.