First conceived in 1784 by a distinguished elder statesman of American diplomacy, this idea was humorously suggested in a letter published in "Journal de Paris" as a way to save tallow and wax. What was the idea and who proposed it?

TabbyTom

Daylight saving. It was proposed by Benjamin Franklin, who was then the US minister in Paris, but doesn't seem to have attracted any support at that time. (Confirmed from "Roads to Ruin: A Shocking History of Social Reform," by E S Turner.) Oct 30 05, 5:24 AM

JoshCaleb12

Yay, Tabby... Franklin's essay was quite funny... he wrote of waking up at six in the morning and being surprised that the sun actually got up that early... and "Sly Franklin claimed that a noted philosopher assured him that he was most certainly mistaken, for it was well known that "there could be no light abroad at that hour." His windows had not let the light in, but being open, had let the darkness out." ... and so on... Here's a website... http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/franklin.html And by the way... Don't forget to "fall back" on your clocks today (if you live in the USA and Europe). Oct 30 05, 8:31 AM