William Willett dreamed up the idea of clocks going forward and back on an early morning ride in 1907
For many people, it will simply mean an extra hour in bed. For others, it’s a disruption to their circadian rhythm that can take weeks to fix.
On Sunday at 2am, clocks in the UK will go back by an hour, a practice that has been mandated by law for more than a century.
A wealthy Kent builder called William Willett came up with the idea of “daylight saving” while he was out riding early on a summer morning in 1907.
Noting that most people still had their curtains drawn, shutting out the early morning light while they slept, it occurred to him that putting the clocks forward in spring would mean they could spend more of their waking hours in daylight.
