When the transcontinental railroad was completed in the 1860s, there was no standard time. Towns and cities used their own time and so did regional railroads, and this made for huge problems and hazards in establishing railroad timetables. It was nearly impossible to establish schedules, which not only made it difficult to establish arrivals and departures but also created a situation where trains running on different schedules could have costly and fatal collisions. So in 1883 at the behest of the railroad companies, the United States adopted a system of official time zones based on lines of longitude.
to make their schedules more standard
to make their schedules more standard
Read your history book
Distance. Each zone is 1/24th of the Earth's circumference, or about 1000 miles at the equator and about 600 miles in the US.
On 18 Nov 1883, the United States, including the Territories of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, and Indian Territory, were organized into four time zones, Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5), Central Standard Time (GMT-6), Mountain Standard Time (GMT-7), and Pacific Standard Time (GMT-8).(Alaska Territory was not organized into time zones until 20 Aug 1900.)
The railroads divided the US into four standard time zones to make their schedules more standard.
Originally Railroads.
The railroads divided the US into four standard time zones to make their schedules more standard.
The railroads
to make their schedules more standard
to make their schedules more standard
to make their schedules more standard
By introducing four standard time zones across the country.
to make their schedules more standard
Read your history book
by setting standard time zones to keep trains on schedule. The companies agreed to divide the continent into four time zones; the dividing lines adopted were very close to the ones we still use today.
Distance. Each zone is 1/24th of the Earth's circumference, or about 1000 miles at the equator and about 600 miles in the US.