U.S. Forces Land at Vera Cruz
1847

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Birth of Amerigo Vespucci
1451

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Napoleon Marries Josephine
1796

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Battle of the Ironclads
1862

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U.S. Town Raided By Pancho Villa
1916

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Congress Tackles New Deal Legislation
1933

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B-29's Flatten Tokyo
1945

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Daylight Savings Time Begins Tonight

Daylight Savings Time -- originally termed "summer time" -- was cooked up in the mind of Benjamin Franklin while he was U.S.envoy to France in the 1780's. Like most new ideas, it was resisted until, a century later, the Brits decided to try it out, advancing their clocks 80 minutes over a period of four Sundays in the spring. During World War I, England was placed on "double summer time" -- two hours ahead -- year-round.

The U.S. took a little longer but, by the end of the First World War, "summer time" was common, if not very uniform in application across the country. During WWII, President Roosevelt also placed the country on year-round Daylight Savings Time from 1942 to 1945.

The start and end dates for DST were standardized by the Uniform Time Act of 1966, and have been altered by law twice since, the most recent expanding DST in 2005.

Under the law, states may still exempt themselves from observing Daylight Savings Time through an act of the legislature. Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation), Hawaii and the territories of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa do just that.

So, before going to bed tonight, set your clocks ahead one hour. Daylight Savings Time officially begins at 2:00 AM.

It's later than you think!