True or False? There was a contest to see who could save the most sunlight during daylight savings time.
The Eldorado Daily Journal, in Eldorado, Illinois, asked all of its readers to save as much daylight as they could during Daylight Savings Time in 1984, and offered a prize for the person who saved the most.
The rules were simple:
“Beginning with the first day of DST (Daylight Savings Time), those entering the contest must begin saving daylight. Those who save the most daylight, by midnight of the last day of daylight savings time, will be awarded a prize.
Only pure daylight is allowed. No pre-dawn light, or twilight will be accepted. Daylight on cloudy days is allowable. Moonlight is strictly prohibited, and any mixture with daylight will bring immediate disqualification.
Contestants may store their saved daylight in any container they wish, and must bring the container to the Daily Journal office at the end of daylight savings time, or when they think they have saved enough daylight to win.”
In the announcement that prompted the above-quoted UPI report, the Eldorado Daily Journal’s managing editor, Bob Ellis, promised that, “All entries will be donated to less fortunate nations that do not observe Daylight Savings Time. It’s about time that people recognize how valuable Daylight Savings Time is to us.”
Ellis was stunned by the response. The first call came from CBS in San Francisco, wanting an interview on a live national radio broadcast. An hour later, it was NBC in New York, also a live national radio program. After that, Ellis heard from all parts of the nation. His story appeared in a Chicago newspaper, and even on a Dallas television station. Moral: Even the most clear-cut, lighthearted jest will be believed by someone.