Why Do We Use ‘Time Zones’ and How Did They Start?

Imagine you live in a big country, and everyone uses the same clock. That works if you're close to each other, but what happens when you're far apart? Time zones help people keep track of time even when they’re on opposite sides of the world. It all started with railroads, because trains needed to know when to leave and arrive, and they couldn’t all use the same time.

How it works

If it's noon in one place, it might be 1 o’clock or 11 o’clock somewhere else depending on where you are. That’s why we have time zones, they’re like slices of the world that help people match up their clocks.

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Examples

  1. You live in New York, and your friend lives in London. When you're having breakfast at 8 a. m., they're having dinner at 8 p. m.
  2. Your mom calls you from her office while you are playing video games, it’s 10 p. m. in her city but only 5 p. m. where you are.
  3. You board a train at 3 p. m., and by the time you arrive, it's already 4 p. m.

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