Prompt Cast
The History of Time Zones and the Push for Standardization
TLDR William F. Allen played a crucial role in establishing time zones in the late 1800s, transitioning the United States from a chaotic system of every town having its own time to four different time zones. This change was marked by the dropping of time balls in various cities, leading to the day of two noons, with the transition going smoothly for most people.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Astrophysicist and economist propose abolishing time zones and implementing a universal 24-hour world time system.
03:02
Two individuals changed the way time worked for everyone forever, similar to how a man in 1883 established the time system in the United States that is still in use today.
06:29
Railroads revolutionized travel speed, but the multitude of local times led to confusion and danger, prompting the need for a coordinated time system overseen by William F. Allen.
09:07
William F. Allen leads the push to standardize time zones in the late 1800s, aiming to replace the chaotic system of every town having its own time.
12:07
William F. Allen successfully convinces major cities in America to adopt the new standard time plan, transitioning the country from each town having its own time to four different time zones starting on November 18th, 1883.
15:07
Observatories across the country coordinated time using telegraph pulses to establish the new time zones, with the day of the change marked by the dropping of time balls in various cities, leading to the day of two noons.
18:09
On the day of the time change, everything went smoothly, with some people not even noticing the transition until weeks later, resembling the Y2K scare, and the attorney general missing his train due to the new standardized time.
