Arte: German Timelords

Video Summary

  • Benjamin Franklin, the inventor of the lightning rod, proposed the idea of daylight saving time in the late 19th century to save energy.
  • Germany was the first to implement daylight saving time in April 1916, with other European countries, including France, following suit.
  • Germany introduced "Hochsommerzeit 1" in 1947 and 1949, advancing the clocks by two hours between June 11 and June 29.
  • Since 1980, all of Europe shifts to daylight saving time on the last Sunday of March until the last Sunday of October.
  • Time varies across Europe due to its vast width; for example, when it's 12 noon in Bucharest, it's only 10 a.m. in Lisbon.
  • Spain's official time is misaligned with its geographical position, causing Spaniards to experience chronic sleep deprivation and reduced productivity.
  • Spain's current time zone was a political decision in 1942 by dictator Francisco Franco to align with Nazi Germany.
  • In 1871, France adopted the Greenwich Meridian time but was forced to adjust to German time during both World Wars, causing fluctuations in local time.
  • Post-WWII, both France and Spain retained the German-occupied time, meaning both countries essentially operate on "German time."

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