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March 1991

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Soviet time zone rule change on 1991/03/31
by ado March 29, 1991

March 29, 1991

The attached from Paul Eggert should be of interest. It looks as if three sets of "Rule" lines for the Soviet Union will be needed; while they should clearly be called SU-Thesis, SU-Antithesis, and SU-Synthesis, which should be which is debatable. --ado > From daemon(a)ncifcrf.gov Sat Mar 23 18:08:44 1991 > Return-Path: <daemon(a)ncifcrf.gov> > Received: from fcs280s.ncifcrf.gov by elsie.nci.nih.gov (4.1/SMI-4.1) > id AA24757; Sat, 23 Mar 91 18:08:41 EST > Received: by fcs280s.ncifcrf.gov (4.1/NCIFCRF-3.0/AWF-2.0) > id AA18877; Sat, 23 Mar 91 18:07:11 EST > Received: from shemp.cs.ucla.edu by fcs280s.ncifcrf.gov (4.1/NCIFCRF-3.0/AWF-2.0) > id AA18874; Sat, 23 Mar 91 18:07:08 EST > Received: by shemp.cs.ucla.edu > (Sendmail 5.61a+YP/2.33) id AA04525; > Sat, 23 Mar 91 15:08:32 -0800 > Received: from yata.UUCP by twinsun.com (4.1/SMI-4.1) > id AA04772; Sat, 23 Mar 91 14:31:41 PST > Received: by yata.mv.la.ca.us (4.1/SMI-4.1) > id AA04965; Sat, 23 Mar 91 13:46:25 PST > Date: Sat, 23 Mar 91 13:46:25 PST > From: yata!eggert(a)twinsun.com (Paul Eggert) > Message-Id: <9103232146.AA04965(a)yata.mv.la.ca.us> > To: ado(a)ncifcrf.gov, buz(a)csd.hku.hk, moraes(a)cs.toronto.edu, rsalz(a)bbn.com > Subject: Soviet time zone rule change on 1991/03/31 (``go to bed as usual'') > Status: RO > > [Is there a mailing list or newsgroup for time zones in software? > Anyway, just to show that the US has no monopoly on time zone screwups, > here's a story from the Los Angeles Times, 1991/03/22, page A18. > Of course they blame it all on Stalin. -- Paul <eggert(a)twinsun.com>] > > > Soviets Get Clocks Back on Track--and It's About Time > > >From Associated Press > > MOSCOW--Red-faced Soviet officials are admitting they haven't kept the > correct time in more than six decades, blaming a mistake in the Stalin > era when clocks should have bene turned back an hour. > > As a result, officials are scrapping the Soviet version of > daylight-saving time this summer. Clocks, however, will still ``fall > back'' an hour in the autumn. > > All this timekeeping havoc is bound to further baffle a nation that has > had its share of confusion for 1991. > > March 31 is when clocks usually are moved forward an hour for summer > time in the Soviet Union, which has 11 time zones. > > But the Council of Ministers has decreed that the move won't be made > for most of the Soviet Union--the huge Russion Federation, which > includes Moscow; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Byelorussia; Turkmenia and the > Ukraine. > > The republics of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Moldova, however, will > follow their rebellious tradition and move their clocks ahead as > before. > > To confound the masses even more, Tadzhikistan, parts of Kazakhstan and > some other regions will actually set their clocks back an hour to > better organize daylight hours, the decree said. > > According to the newspaper Evening Moscow, the move was made to correct > a 61-year-old mistake. > > ``In 1930, it was decided to introduce summer time and move the hands > of clocks one hour ahead,'' the paper said. ``In the passage of time, > they did not announce winter time'' in the fall of 1930, leaving the > country with a single time year-round. > > In 1981, it was decided to restore the seasonal time change. But when > the clocks were moved forward an hour that spring, the country wound up > with two extra hours of sunlight during summer instead of the intended > one. > > Officials figured that the end of March--the regular date to move > clocks ahead--was the best time to correct the imbalance. ``On March > 31, one should not move the hands of the clock ahead, but go to bed as > usual,'' the newspaper advised.

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