The History of Time Zones

Photo: David Mak/Pixabay

Travel for many has been put on hold, but when you took a train or grabbed an airplane flight, you probably didn’t give much thought to the time zones involved. In the back of your head, you may have realized you’d need to change your watch upon arrival, but any further considerations weren’t necessary.

Not so in late 19th century America.

Prior to the establishment of standard time zones in 1883, there were one hundred and forty-four local times in North America. Probably not a huge issue when travel took weeks or days rather than hours, but with the rise of the railroads, whose tracks eventually spanned the continent, the standardization of time was essential for efficient operation.

Sandford Fleming: courtesy
thecandaianencyclopedia.ca

Enter Sir Sandford Fleming, a Scottish-born engineer who emigrated to Canada in 1845 as a 17-year-old. He worked as a surveyor for a while then became a railway engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway. At the age of twenty-one, he founded the Royal Canadian Institute as an organization for engineers, surveyors, and architects. Later the Institute would focus on the advancement of science in general.

In 1878, he proposed the system of worldwide time zones that are used today. Proclaimed a brilliant solution to a serious problem, his recommendation was to divide the world into twenty-four time zones, each spaced fifteen degrees of longitude apart, aligning with the earth’s rotation of once every twenty-four hours.

Photo: Alejandro Guerrero/Pixabay

The railroad companies began to use Fleming’s time zones on November 18, 1883. An International Prime Meridian Conference was held in Washington, DC to select the prime meridian (e.g. where to start) and standardize time. The longitude of Greenwich, England was selected as zero degrees/the Prime Meridian, and the twenty-four times zones established. However, not all countries switched to the new system immediately.

By 1895, most U.S. states adhered to the Pacific, Mountain, Central, and Eastern times zones, Congress didn’t make use of the time zones mandatory until the Standard Time Act of 1918.

What time zone are you in?

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Linda Shenton Matchett writes about ordinary people who did extraordinary things in days gone by. A volunteer docent and archivist for the Wright Museum of WWII, Linda is also a trustee for her local public library. She is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and was born a stone's throw from Fort McHenry. Linda has lived in historic places all her life, and is now located in central New Hampshire where her favorite activities include exploring historic sites and immersing herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors. Connect with her at http://www.LindaShentonMatchett.com, or on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter.