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Willett found it hard to understand why his countrymen were wasting the best part of a summer day. Could Englishmen, he wondered, ever be convinced to wake up earlier? William Willett, daylight saving time’s first champion. Willett also recognized that most people had limited time after work to enjoy the outdoors before the setting of the sun. Children had to curtail their play, and outdoor enthusiasts such as gardeners were forced to stop their activities when the daylight faded. As a passionate golfer (another in his wide range of interests), Willett particularly regretted having to cut short his round when it got dark in the early evening.

He concluded: “Meridians were made for man, not man for meridians. Time must be regulated . . ” THE OPPOSITION MOUNTS Despite such strong support, Willett’s proposal was not without its critics. The opposition was sizable, and controversy raged not only in Parliament but also in the press, as editorials and a series of long letters to the editor attacking and defending the bill appeared in newspapers and scientific journals. Many of the same arguments used during these initial debates have resurfaced each time the adoption or expansion of DST has been proposed, up to the present day.

Britain’s prime meridian went through London, Portugal’s through Lisbon, France’s through Paris, Russia’s through St. C. ; and the Pulkovo Observatory near St. Petersburg. As the earth rotates, the sun appears to traverse fifteen degrees of longitude in one hour. Thus, each degree of longitude to the west, local noon occurs four minutes later. Consequently, any two cities not on the same meridian would have their clocks set at different times, depending on how many degrees their longitudes separate them.