Just like your wives and girlfriends, Brigham Young is always right.
Although most people believe that Daylight Savings can be attributed to energy conservation during World War One or farmers being absolute babies and wanting more sleep, there is a true, lesser-known story that argues the tradition earlier.
As ancient legend has it, after a long day of trekking through the nothingness that is it the Midwest, Brigham Young circled the wagons and decided it was time to sleep.
After a long night’s sleep, everyone in the party got up at 6:30 AM to sing an early rendition of “Pioneer Children” for the 272nd time as they always did. Expect this time, there was one who was still fast asleep.
Brigham Young was out cold. The day before he had led his group 50 miles across the grossest states in America. He encouraged his group along by reciting Bible verses all day, healing a few dozen children with frostbite, and even pulling an entire wagon by himself a horse broke its leg. As to be expected, he was exhausted.
For an hour, everyone in the party was not quite sure what to do. “Should we wake him up?” Heber C. Kimball suggested. “Are you a mad man?” exclaimed Orson Hyde. “Only a man possessed by the devil himself would suggest such an idea!”
At exactly 7:30 AM, Brigham Young finally opened his eyes. He sat up, stretched towards the sky, and glanced at his pocket watch. He quickly turned his head to his party and then back to his pocket watch. He realized he had made a grave mistake. But being a prophet of God, there was no doubt he could talk his way out of this one.
“My dearest brethren, let me beseech of you a new commandment. On the first Sunday of the eleventh month, thou art commanded to sleep one hour longer than usual.”
“In the days of Moses, God’s chosen people lived by this same tradition. Moses received the very commandment when communing with the Lord on Mt. Sinai. Unfortunately, this commandment was lost after Moses tripped and dropped the tablet that contained the last 5 commandments. Trust me my fellow brethren, this commandment will only be for thy gain.”
Everyone looked around at each other thoroughly confused.
Sensing that this new commandment had not been accepted as well as he had hoped.
“Hear me once more my brethren. The best part about this new commandment is the fact that it will be reversed in March! It’s like it never happened.”
The people jumped with joy and continued on their way towards the promised land.
This powerful story has been passed on throughout many generations and definitely not made up whatsoever. Are you going to doubt Brigham Young and say some lazy farmer made up Daylight Savings? I didn’t think so.