Don't Forget To 'Fall Back' & Check Your Smoke Alarms This Weekend

DENVER (CBS4) - Can you believe it's already time to "fall back" on the clocks?

While it may be a bit of a chore to get all your clocks set, the reward is an extra hour of sleep when you go to bed Saturday night.

Daylight saving time (DST) ends at 2 a.m. this Sunday, November 1, 2015.

The idea of setting clocks forward one hour during the warm season and back again during the fall and winter can be traced to Benjamin Franklin in the late 1700's.

But the practice wasn't adopted in the United States until World War I when the Standard Time Act was passed in March 1918.

The goal was to shift an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening to benefit productivity when people are thought to be most active.

Some feel DST also saves energy because more people are outside enjoying the nice weather and not using energy at home.

Most of the United States and it's territories follow daylight saving time with the exception of Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

In Arizona the Navajo Indian territories observe DST but the rest of the state does not follow the annual time change.

As you set your clocks back this weekend it's a great time to check the batteries for all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.