November 18 in American History

November 18, 1883 — American railroads adopt standard time

At noon, the railroads divided the country into the standardized time zones we still use, replacing a chaos of hundreds of local "sun times" that made scheduling a nightmare. It wasn't federal law yet — the railroads simply agreed to it — but the whole country reset its clocks to match.

Common Questions

What happened on November 18 in American history?

In 1883: American railroads adopt standard time. At noon, the railroads divided the country into the standardized time zones we still use, replacing a chaos of hundreds of local "sun times" that made scheduling a nightmare.

Why is November 18 significant?

At noon, the railroads divided the country into the standardized time zones we still use, replacing a chaos of hundreds of local "sun times" that made scheduling a nightmare. It wasn't federal law yet — the railroads simply agreed to it — but the whole country reset its clocks to match.

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