As the majority of Americans prepare to "fall back" and gain an extra hour of sleep this Sunday, it is worth noting that only two states in the US have not observed daylight savings time for over 50 years. While clocks across the nation will be turned back at 2 am, returning to standard time until March, residents of Arizona and Hawaii will remain unaffected by this annual time change.

Arizona and Hawaii have been outliers in their refusal to implement daylight savings time since the federal government attempted to make it a permanent practice nationwide. This decision was made based on valid reasons and historical context. The concept of daylight savings time was first introduced in the US in 1918, during World War I, as a means to conserve energy. By extending evening daylight hours in the winter, it was believed that people would use less energy. The initiative was left to the states to decide whether or not to adopt this practice annually and determine which parts of their states should observe it.

However, in 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act to establish consistency among the states, making daylight savings time a standard practice from March until November. Despite this, Arizona and Hawaii chose to deviate from the federal law by passing their own legislation to bypass its implementation.

Arizona's rejection of daylight savings time in 1968 was rooted in the state officials' belief that extending summer daylight hours into the scorching afternoon would be counterproductive. In the already hot climate, it was argued that residents would require more energy to keep their homes cool during the late afternoon, rendering daylight savings time ineffective. Interestingly, the Navajo Nation, which spans across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, follows daylight savings time due to its geographical scope.

Hawaii, on the other hand, opted out of the Uniform Time Act in 1967 due to its unique geographical circumstances. The state's proximity to the equator means that the sun rises and sets at roughly the same time every day, rendering an additional hour of daylight irrelevant during the summer months.

In addition to Arizona and Hawaii, several US territories, including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam, also do not observe daylight savings time.

In recent years, there has been a growing movement among various US states to consider eliminating daylight savings time altogether. Critics argue that the time change negatively impacts sleep patterns, with only minimal benefits in terms of energy conservation.

While the majority of Americans will adjust their clocks this weekend, the residents of Arizona and Hawaii will remain unaffected. These two states' decisions to reject daylight savings time have stood the test of time, backed by valid explanations rooted in their unique climates and geographical factors. As the debate surrounding the necessity of daylight savings time continues, it remains to be seen if other states will follow in the footsteps of Arizona and Hawaii in the years to come.