Daylight Saving Time starts at 2 a.m. this Sunday, March 12, so remember to “spring forward” and turn your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed Saturday night.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) has been observed over the years, starting as early as the 19th century, but it was not uniformly practiced.

In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which standardized the start and end dates for DST, but allowed individual states to remain on standard time if their legislatures allowed it.

Since that Act, several changes were made over the years, with the current dates of time changes established in 2005, when U.S. Congress passed a law extending DST by one month, effective in 2007.

DST now begins the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November — this year, that’s Nov. 5.

During World War II, DST was observed nationally.

According to an article in the Jan. 21, 1942, issue of The Sabetha Herald, “The president [Franklin D. Roosevelt] signed the daylight saving bill passed by the Congress recently, and the new hours will go into effect over the entire nation on Monday, Feb. 9. All clocks will be set ahead one hour on this date. This will give longer evenings for gardening, for defense, and will give workers an hour more of daylight to get home before blackouts.”

During the time DST is in effect, the amount of daylight is decreased in the morning hours, and daylight is available later in the evening.

While farmers and others who rise before dawn may have to operate in the dark a while longer before daybreak during DST, it can bring many benefits.

According to a National Geographic history of DST, research has shown that more available daylight increases energy savings while decreasing the number of traffic accidents, traffic fatalities and incidences of crime.

DST also allows more daylight for children and youth to play outdoors, as well as greater use of parks and recreation areas and expanded economic opportunity, as daylight hours extend to peak shopping hours.