Profile America: Time Zones

Profile America —  This month in 1883, the ancestor of today’s familiar U.S. time zones first appeared at the initiative of the American Railway Association. The idea was to rationalize railroad timetables, there being 80 time standards then in use by localities. There was wide but incomplete acceptance of the railway association’s zones, and the adjusted zones were not made law until 1918. In 1884, delegates from 25 nations met in Washington, D.C., and established a standard system of 24 time zones around the world. Making timepieces is about a $723 million a year business for 114 establishments in the U.S., employing some 3,700 people.

You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, here .

Print Friendly, PDF & Email