Time zones were created to ensure local time corresponds to available daylight. They use the prime meridian as a starting point and are divided into 15° slices. The original site of the Greenwich observatory, the starting point, no longer exists. Time zones remain important for communication.
The concept of having a time zone comes from the basic desire that local time always correspond to the amount of available daylight. Most people tend to think of the middle of the day, or noon, as the time when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. Obviously, the perception of this state would be different in various parts of the world, and the sun would appear to be at its highest point at a different time of day in Europe than it would appear to be front and center in the United States. Setting time zones helps fulfill this desire.
Time zones are configured to use an agreed starting point, known as the prime meridian. It has been referred to as Greenwich Mean Time, Universal Time, or Greenwich Meridian Time. Since GMT is the zero point for calculating times, all time zones are understood to be a certain number of hours ahead or behind this universal time. Taking this as a basic standard, the zones established in 15° slices around the world. The use of 15° as an acceptable standard was first developed in the late 19th century and remains the basis for the 19 divisions that currently exist worldwide.
An interesting fact is that while the starting point for fixing the arrangement of time zones remains the same, the actual structure that once resided at the median time location no longer exists. During the 1950s, the famous Greenwich observatory, the starting point of the idea, was relocated to Sussex, England. The original site is still considered the prime meridian.
Although some time zones experience a slight change in the spring and autumn of the year, their process and function remain the same. In a world where interacting with distant places has become an everyday occurrence, that function has become even more important in establishing communications for both business and pleasure.
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