Twice a year, time changes sweep across the country. Clocks jump forward one hour in the spring to begin daylight saving time and then slide back an hour in the fall to end it.

"The real goal of daylight saving time is to move the hours of human activity to make the best use of daylight," said David Prerau, computer scientist and author of "Seize the Daylight."

While today’s night owls may scoff at the notion, this wrangling of time to make the most of daylight dates back over a century, with motivations - and controversy - rooted in patriotism, practicality and public opinion.

Who invented daylight saving time?

The concept of daylight saving time can be attributed to three people, according to Prerau.

The first person was Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century. Franklin noted that wak

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