Time: Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Daylight saving time, first suggested by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 as a means of cutting down on candle consumption, is a proven conservator of another of Franklin’s tinkering projects, namely electricity. But the system also forces some early risers in the springtime to start their day in the dark. The dilemma: When best to make the twice-yearly time change?

Last week Congress apparently decided the U.S. should “spring forward” three weeks earlier than it does now. The Senate passed a bill setting the first Sunday in April as the opening of daylight time, beginning next year. ) Observers expect that the bill will be reconciled with a similar measure passed by the House, which would also add a week at the end of daylight time before the annual “fall back.”