953 nut 59,931 #1 Posted November 18, 2016 11-18-1883 Railroads create the first time zones At exactly noon on this day, American and Canadian railroads begin using four continental time zones to end the confusion of dealing with thousands of local times. The bold move was emblematic of the power shared by the railroad companies. The need for continental time zones stemmed directly from the problems of moving passengers and freight over the thousands of miles of rail line that covered North America by the 1880s. Since human beings had first begun keeping track of time, they set their clocks to the local movement of the sun. Even as late as the 1880s, most towns in the U.S. had their own local time, generally based on “high noon,” or the time when the sun was at its highest point in the sky. As railroads began to shrink the travel time between cities from days or months to mere hours, however, these local times became a scheduling nightmare. Railroad timetables in major cities listed dozens of different arrival and departure times for the same train, each linked to a different local time zone. Efficient rail transportation demanded a more uniform time-keeping system. Rather than turning to the federal governments of the United States and Canada to create a North American system of time zones, the powerful railroad companies took it upon themselves to create a new time code system. The companies agreed to divide the continent into four time zones; the dividing lines adopted were very close to the ones we still use today. Most Americans and Canadians quickly embraced their new time zones, since railroads were often their lifeblood and main link with the rest of the world. However, it was not until 1918 that Congress officially adopted the railroad time zones and put them under the supervision of the Interstate Commerce Commission. 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SylvanLakeWH 28,393 #2 Posted November 18, 2016 What time is it? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clueless 3,234 #3 Posted November 18, 2016 Does anybody really know what time it is? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 51,739 #4 Posted November 18, 2016 1 hour ago, SylvanLakeWH said: What time is it? it's beer thirty!! Five o'clock somewhere! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 41,954 #5 Posted November 18, 2016 Another historical fact that I wasn't aware of... Richard. I'll test my grandsons on this one. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 59,931 #6 Posted November 18, 2016 2 hours ago, clueless said: Does anybody really know what time it is? As I was walking down the street one day A man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was on my watch, yeah And I said Does anybody really know what time it is Does anybody really care If so I can't imagine why We've all got time enough to cry And I was walking down the street one day A pretty lady looked at me and said her diamond watch had stopped cold dead And I said Does anybody really know what time it is Does anybody really care If so I can't imagine why We've all got time enough to cry 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 16,293 #7 Posted November 18, 2016 (edited) At the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, they used to have a display on time zones and how the railroads timetable was used by some to set their clocks. You could set your watch to the sound of "the 8:15" pulling into the station. So the question "does anyone really know what time it is, does anyone really care? I guess the answer is yes. Edited November 18, 2016 by rmaynard 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KC9KAS 4,744 #8 Posted November 18, 2016 8 hours ago, clueless said: Does anybody really know what time it is? 25 or 6 to 4 OK, now I can blame the railroad for the time zones, but who do I blame for the screwed up time zones with-in Indiana? A county EAST of me is in Central Time Zone while I am in EASTERN! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 59,931 #9 Posted November 19, 2016 2 hours ago, KC9KAS said: who do I blame for the screwed up time zones with-in Indiana? Blame the out-going administration, they will be blamed for everything else; Why not that too? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KC9KAS 4,744 #10 Posted November 19, 2016 23 hours ago, 953 nut said: As I was walking down the street one day A man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was on my watch, yeah And I said Does anybody really know what time it is Does anybody really care If so I can't imagine why We've all got time enough to cry And I was walking down the street one day A pretty lady looked at me and said her diamond watch had stopped cold dead And I said Does anybody really know what time it is Does anybody really care If so I can't imagine why We've all got time enough to cry I have always love to hear CHICAGO. Thanks for the song! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
