It’s time to stop saving daylight — Daylight Saving Time ends tonight. Most of the country will “fall back” by one hour, regaining the hour of sleep we lost back in March. The name is misleading, though, because we don’t actually “save” any daylight at all. Earth’s rotation is unaffected by the change in timekeeping, so the Sun rises and sets at the same pace no matter what the clock says. The purpose of Daylight Saving Time is to save energy, not time. The rationale is that we’re likely to use more energy in the evening, especially during the summer, when it’s hotter and we’re more likely to turn on the air conditioner. Shifting the clock means that people go to bed sooner after sunset, so they spend less time burning the lights and watching television, reducing overall energy use. The idea of saving energy by “springing forward” first caught on in Europe, during World War I. The United States adopted the idea in 1918. It lasted only a year, but was reinstated during World War II. Aft
