The concept of time zones was introduced to standardize timekeeping across the world, especially as railroads and telecommunications began to expand in the 19th century. Before time zones, each city or region kept its own local time based on the position of the sun, which created confusion for travelers and businesses. In 1884, the International Meridian Conference established the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, England, as the starting point for timekeeping. The Earth was then divided into 24 time zones, each one representing an hour of time, based on the Earth’s rotation. This system allows people in different parts of the world to have a standard reference for time, making global coordination easier.
Time zones are usually offset by whole hours, but some regions adjust by 30 or 45 minutes. The time zone you are in depends on your geographic location relative to the Prime Meridian. Daylight Saving Time (DST) is another concept related to time zones, where clocks are set forward by one hour during the summer months to extend evening daylight. However, not all countries or regions observe DST, leading to further variations in timekeeping. While the global time zone system has greatly improved communication and travel, it also highlights the complexity of our planet's division of time, and the need for synchronization in an increasingly interconnected world. Shutdown123