Get this: Benjamin Franklin - the early-to-bed, early-to-rise guy? - liked to sleep till noon. Seems that ol' Ben was a night owl, working by candlelight in the evenings, till one morning in Paris, where the 78-year-old was serving as ambassador to France.

The room attendant had neglected to close the shutters one night. Sunlight flooded his room the next morning, waking him at 6 a.m.

Think of all the money to be saved, Franklin thought, by buying fewer candles and spending more waking hours up and about while the sun shone.

More than a century later, in 1905, British builder William Willet drew upon Franklin's logic in proposing a radical move: change the clock a couple of times a year to maximize daylight. During World War I, Germany became the first country to adopt daylight-saving time; Britain and America soon followed.

Now the U.S. is about to embark on yet another expansion of that bright idea. We'll set our clocks forward an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, three weeks earlier than in the past 20 years. And we won't set them back an hour until Nov. 4, a week later than we're used to.

David Prerau approves of the change. His book Seize the Daylight tells the story of Franklin, Willet and the history of daylight-saving time, and he considers the latest expansion wise.

"I'm not a 100 percent advocate of daylight-saving time in all cases," he says, calling from his home outside Boston. "But it has a lot of positive aspects, and this proposal seems reasonable.

"Every time there's been a change, though, there have been people on both sides. It's been a very contentious issue since it began."

Why? For one thing, like the weather, a time change affects everybody. So everyone has an opinion. Historically, farmers have been the biggest detractors of the practice. Even more so than the likes of Franklin, farmers needed to get their work done under the sun, and clock shifts meant losing free time at the end of the day - which put them behind in everything from business dealings in town to enjoying a movie out with the family.

When the expansion of daylight-saving time was proposed in 2005, Prerau says, opposition from farmers was muted compared with previous years. "With modern farm techniques and equipment, they're much less dependent on the sun than they used to be. It becomes an inconvenience for them rather than a major issue they want to battle about."

That aids the cause of supporters, who point to the energy saved by manipulating the clock to give us more daylight in the evening during the spring, summer and early fall. More daylight at the end of the day means fewer lights on in homes; studies show a typical overall energy savings of 1 percent. It's also credited with lowering the number of traffic accidents and fatalities. Crime rates fall, too.

Ultimately, though, Prerau says daylight-saving time's impact on lifestyle is what makes it a popular practice.

"Most people would rather have the extra hour of light in the evening, after work or school, for gardening, barbecuing, softball or whatever," he says. Seniors especially like the extra daylight, enabling easier driving and less apprehension about crime.

"That's why daylight-saving time tends to be popular by margins of 2-to-1 or more," he says. The only time it would prove unpopular: the midwinter, when sunrises are late and the need for lighting in the morning negates the energy savings.

5 things you can do with an extra hour of daylight in the evening:

• Head to the park for some hoops:

Unless you're bringing 19 people along for a formal game, there's no need to reserve an outdoor basketball court in any of Denver's parks.

"They're all just first-come, first- served," said Phil Madrid, recreation supervisor at Athmar Recreation Center. "The outdoor courts aren't lighted, and with daylight-saving time coming earlier this year, it'll be nice to have a little extra time in the evening."

• Tennis, anyone?

George Tavarez, manager of operations for the Gates Tennis Center, 100 S. Adams St., expects bookings to escalate sharply as soon as it's light later and the weather turns even slightly warmer.

"The other day, the high was only about 30, but it was dry, and we had six full courts," he said.

It costs just $5 an hour to book a court at the facility, which is run jointly by the city of Denver and the Gates Family Foundation. Reservations may be made 24 hours in advance by calling 303-355-4461.

• Start taking the light rail

Denver's newest light-rail line, down I-25, made its debut in mid-November, and day- shift commuters haven't yet seen much daylight on the ride home. That will change March 12.

"The light rail feels a bit more friendly and pleasant in daylight," said RTD spokesman Scott Reed. "And, of course, you can see more, too. The views from the southeast line are just incredible."

• Do a little gardening after work.

It would be reckless and wasteful to plant anything just yet, said Dan Johnson of the Denver Botanic Gardens. But in the meantime, get your garden ready by pruning, fertilizing, amending the soil, aerating and cleaning out all the old stakes, dead weeds and dry leaves. To address snow mold, you might want to rake grass on the north side of your house lightly with a flexible rake, said Carl Wilson, horticulturist for the CSU Cooperative Extension in Denver.

• Take a walk after dinner and get dessert.

Ken Simon, owner of Bonnie Brae Ice Cream, 799 S. University Blvd., loves daylight-saving time.

"If it's warm, an extra couple of weeks with more sunlight will definitely help business," he said. "People will feel a lot more like going out, and that's really good for us."

- Janet Simons

Be awake for this

Here are some tips for avoiding the "spring forward" drowsies, from the sleep specialists at Harvard Medical School and the National Sleep Foundation:

• Go to sleep and wake up 15 to 20 minutes earlier each day for three to four consecutive days before the start of daylight-saving time.

• Change your clocks early in the day on Saturday so that you can start to adjust to the time shift mentally and physically.

• Get plenty of rest over the weekend so that waking up "earlier" isn't overly difficult, but stick to your usual bedtime Saturday night and your usual wake-up time Sunday morning.

• Avoid napping Sunday, and set your alarm for your usual wake-up time Monday.

• Keep your schedule as light as possible Monday. Minimize driving and any activities that require strenuous mental effort or difficult judgment calls.

• Create a sleep-conducive environment by keeping the bedroom dark, quiet, comfortable and cool.

• Try a relaxing routine, like soaking in a hot bath before bedtime.

• Don't rely on caffeine to wake you up or alcohol to put you to sleep.

• Eat properly, stay well-hydrated and remain physically active.

• Exercise regularly, but finish at least a few hours before bedtime.

• Keep reminding yourself that you and your kids will adjust to the time change soon.

- Lisa Ryckman

Clock quirks

Daylight-saving time has caused many a clockwork curiosity over the years. David Prerau compiled them for his book Seize the Daylight. The computer researcher and scientist became interested in the history while working as a researcher at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and he still consults on time-change issues here and abroad. For more, go to Prerau's Web site, seizethedaylight.com.

• SWEET ON MORE DAYLIGHT-SAVING TIME

Some young children feel tricked out of treats come Halloween. Early sunset can mean an early curfew for many trick- or-treaters, which motivated candy makers for years to lobby on behalf of extending daylight-saving time into the first week of November. This year they get their wish - and hope you'll be inspired to buy another bag or two of goodies.

• EARLY ADOPTER

Daylight-saving time was first implemented in the United States as an energy-saving measure during World War I. The national mandate ended with the war, but a few scattered cities across the country liked the change and chose to continue it in peacetime. Denver was among them.

• STATES OF CONFUSION

After another nationally mandated period of daylight-saving time during World War II, start and stop dates for daylight- saving time were left up to local governments. The 1950s and 1960s saw years of clock chaos: Iowa at one point had 23 different sets of starting and ending dates for daylight-saving time across the state. A bus ride from Moundsville, W.Va., to Steubenville, Ohio, was only 35 miles long but required seven time changes. Finally, in 1966, the Uniform Time Act declared that if communities within a state chose to observe daylight-saving time, they had to follow the same start and stop dates.

• STATES OF CONSISTENCY

Where would you not want an extra hour of daylight in the summertime? Arizona, where the average July high tops 100. As a result, the state doesn't observe daylight-saving time (one exception: the Navajo reservation, because it stretches into two neighboring states that do change their clocks). Hawaii doesn't make the switch, either - its close proximity to the equator means the times of sunrise and sunset stay about the same throughout the year. In the past, areas of Indiana chose not to adopt daylight-saving time, too. That changed last year after commerce led the state to consistently use daylight- saving time: Business people believed they were missing calls and opportunities with out-of-state partners because of clock confusion.

• TWIN TURMOIL

In 1965, the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul couldn't agree on a start date for daylight-saving time, making for a one-hour time difference within the same metropolitan area.

• ELECTION EFFECT?

With the end of daylight-saving time being moved to the first Sunday in November, some years will see more daylight on Election Day (next year isn't among them). Eventually, researchers will have a chance to study whether voter turnout increases with the late-day sunlight.

• UNFRIENDLY SKIES

Farmers didn't object strenuously to this year's expansion of daylight-saving time when it was debated two years ago, but another group did: airlines. Because of the change, they say, scheduling of U.S. overseas flights will be even more out of sync with Europe. The National PTA doesn't like the shift, either, saying more kids will be heading to school in the dark during March.

dedrickj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5484

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