The Sunshine Protection Act would keep most of the country on daylight saving time year-round. That sounds appealing in the summer — but history suggests it may not stay popular once winter arrives.
The last time Congress tried this
In 1973, Congress passed the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act. The country was in the middle of the oil crisis, and the idea was that more daylight hours would reduce energy use. According to Time magazine, 79% of Americans approved of the change at the time.
President Richard Nixon signed the bill into law in December 1973. It was set to last two years on a trial basis.
It did not last one.
What went wrong
Once winter arrived, the sun rose an hour later than it previously had. Children were walking to school in the dark. The Smithsonian reported that schools began delaying classes until the sun came up. The New York Times reported that eight school children in Florida were killed in accidents following the time change.
Support for permanent daylight saving time dropped from 79% to 42% by February 1974.
How it ended
In October 1974, Congress voted to end permanent daylight saving time.
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