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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