Of course, the year was 1883! Before that, each town or city would set its own solar time based on when the sun was directly overhead. Different railroads used different time standards, sometimes based on major cities like Philadelphia or New Orleans. A passenger in Buffalo, New York, for example, would see three different clocks at the station, each showing a different time zone.
To reduce the number of collisions, railroads got together to create new time zones (just as they are today). Clocks across the country were adjusted to the new railroad standard time, either by moving forward or backward a for few minutes.
The US government adopted this time 35 years later!
I hope you enjoyed this history lesson.
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