Prompt Cast
The Creation and Controversy of Time Zones
TLDR Time zones were created to coordinate time across different locations for transportation purposes, but some people question the need for them and propose setting our clocks to universal time coordinated (UTC) instead. While this shift in thinking about time may have benefits such as eliminating sleep deprivation and making business and travel easier, it would require a significant undertaking and may not be feasible.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Time zones were created as a result of the need to coordinate time across different locations due to advancements in transportation.
02:01
Time zones were created to coordinate time across different locations for transportation purposes, as people needed to ensure that trains and schedules were coordinated.
03:59
Sir Sanford Fleming missed a train in 1876 due to the confusion caused by time zones, leading him to propose dividing the world into 24 time zones spaced at one degree intervals, although today there are actually 39 time zones, some of which are offset by 30 or 45 minutes.
06:28
Some people have questioned the need for time zones and suggested that everyone should set their clocks to the same time, but this would require a shift in thinking about the concept of time.
09:05
Hunkah and Heenrye propose setting our clocks to universal time coordinated (UTC), also known as Greenwich Mean Time, where the prime meridian is zero hours, but this would require a shift in how we think about time.
11:23
Setting our clocks to universal time coordinated (UTC) would require a shift in how we think about time, and although it may take a generation for us to get used to it, there are many benefits such as eliminating sleep deprivation for those on the western edge of a time zone and making business and travel much easier.
13:34
Setting our clocks to universal time coordinated (UTC) would require a significant undertaking and may not be feasible due to the difficulty of getting the whole world to agree on it, but it could be beneficial and some countries, like Europe, already use a 24-hour clock system.
Categories:
Society & Culture
