Established, Nov 18, 1883
Charles F. Dowd proposed a system of time zones for North American railroads in 1863, but his plan wasn't accepted. Cleveland Abbe, a U.S. Weather Bureau meteorologist, later divided the country into four time zones in 1879. North American railroads adopted time zones on November 18, 1883, known as "The Day of Two Noons." The system was formalized by the U.S. Congress in the Standard Time Act of 1918. Early zones included Intercolonial, Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific, with cities gradually adopting standard time.