Stuff You Should Know Short Stuff: Time Zones
Aug 7, 2019
Time zones: a headache we all know too well! Discover how they emerged from the chaos of railway scheduling in the 19th century, thanks to a brilliant Scottish scientist. Explore the messy intricacies of global timekeeping and its effects on our daily lives. Is there a case for a single universal time? Dive into the potential benefits and challenges of ditching time zones altogether, while pondering how this might change our perception of time and culture. Could we finally say goodbye to jet lag?
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US Time Zone History
- The United States initially had 300 local time zones, causing train scheduling chaos.
- This was eventually reduced to 100, then to the current four.
Fleming's Train Miss
- Sir Sanford Fleming missed a train in 1876 due to time zone confusion.
- This prompted him to propose dividing the world into 24 time zones.
Arbitrary Time Zones
- Time zones are arbitrary and artificial constructs linked to the sun's position.
- A universal time could simplify global communication and travel.