We have not always changed clocks twice a year. There was a time when time was left alone — the country did not spring forward or fall back.

But in 1918, as a plan to save fuel for the war effort, Daylight Saving Time was created. It provided more light for the evening hours and kept residents from using as much energy. At least that’s the story provided by “The Old Farmer’s Almanac.”

It wasn’t until 1966 that Daylight Saving Time took hold after being established by law. Prior to that, the country was hit-and-miss on DST. In wartime, it went into effect but people hated it so much it was killed during peacetime.

After World War II some states adopted DST but some did not. Even today, some places choose not to observe it. Arizona simply ignores it. Since the law took effect, Arizonians have not changed their clocks. And it makes sense. After all, who needs more time in the evening to bake in the blistering Arizona summer heat? Also, who needs less time in the morning, when the sun has yet to scorch the earth?  Arizona is on to something. Hawaii has boycotted the change, too.

But, since Mississippi has yet to see the wisdom of leaving clocks untouched, don’t forget to change them before you go to bed Saturday night. And if you’re late for church because you forgot to change your clocks, you can blame Benjamin Franklin. He’s credited with proposing the idea way back in 1784, as a joke on the people of Paris. He wrote to a Paris newspaper that residents could save candles by getting out of bed earlier to take advantage of the morning light, instead of using them at the end of the day.

More than 200 years later, the joke is on us.