Think Raleigh flubbed the recent disposal ban? That was nothing compared to the controversy Raleigh had in May 1932.
According to David Prerau’s book Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time, in May 1932 Raleigh became one of the few Southern cities to adopt Daylight Saving Time. Like a lot of decisions both past and present, the city held a public hearing when it began studying the matter. The meeting was packed with DST supporters, many of whom touted the recreational benefits of the time change. Local businesses got behind the plan, and shortly afterward city commissioners overwhelmingly approved the move to DST. On May 1, 1932, less than two days after the vote, Raleigh moved its clocks ahead for the very first time.
And, alas, soon afterward all hell broke loose. The State of North Carolina – not about to let a municipality dictate when state employees would report to work – promptly ignored the time change. So did the banks, federal government offices, hotels, trains, colleges, farmers, and any other entity that did business out of state. Raleigh was left alone in a sea of standard time followers. Angry ones, at that.
The city was in an uproar. Stung by the criticism, city commissioners retreated in full force and in another unanimous decision Raleigh ended its four-day-old experiment in Daylight Saving Time on May 4, 1932. It would be another ten years before War World II brought DST back to Raleigh and the nation.
The move wasn’t all for naught, though. Wags said that at least those were four days no one thought about the Great Depression!