Time in Alaska

As part of Russian America, Alaska used the Julian calendar and followed the same day of the week as Asia, using the date of the eastern hemisphere. In 1867, Alaska became a United States territory (through the Alaska Purchase) and began using the Gregorian calendar, aligning with the same day of the week as the Americas, using the date of the western hemisphere. The switch was achieved by repeating the same day of the week and skipping eleven days of the month instead of twelve during the 19th century, so that the purchase date of Friday, October 6 (Julian) was followed once again by Friday, October 18 (instead of Saturday, October 19 in Gregorian).{{cite book |last1=Dershowitz|first1=Nachum|last2=Reingold|first2=Edward M.|date=2008|title=Calendrical Calculations|publisher=Cambridge University Press|url=https://archive.org/details/calendricalcalcu0000ders/mode/2up|isbn=9780521885409|page=47}} That change redrew the International Date Line from being east to west of the territory to realign itself from Asian to American dates, thus shifting it from the date of the eastern hemisphere to the western hemisphere.

Before time zones were introduced, every place used local observation of the sun to set its clocks, which meant that every location used a different local mean time based on its longitude. For example, Sitka, the capital of Alaska at the time, at longitude 135°20′W, had a local time equivalent to UTC+14:59 under Russia and UTC−09:01 under the United States.[https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/usa/sitka Time Zone in Sitka, Alaska, USA], Timeanddate.com.

In 1900, "Alaska Standard Time" was established within the state as UTC−09:00.{{cite web|title=Keeping Time in Alaska: National Directives, Local Response {{!}} Alaska Historical Society|url=https://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/discover-alaska/glimpses-of-the-past/keeping-time-in-alaska/|access-date=October 20, 2022|publisher=Alaska Historical Society}}

In 1918, the United States Congress passed the Standard Time Act, which defined a standard time zone for Alaska - United States Standard Alaska Time, set at UTC−10:00.Standard Time Act of 1918. {{usstat|40|450}}

On January 20, 1942, all of the United States, including Alaska, began to observe War Time.AN ACT To promote the national security and defense by establishing daylight saving time. {{usstat|56|9}} Standard time in the United States advanced by one hour and would remain so until September 25, 1945, when the act was repealed.AN ACT To provide for termination of daylight saving time. {{usstat|59|537}}

In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act. The Uniform Time Act introduced Daylight Saving Time uniformly in the United States, which Alaska would begin observing on April 28, 1968.{{cite news|title=Daylight Savings Time Comes To Alaska Soon|date=April 22, 1968|quote=Alaskans will advance their clocks one hour next Sunday as the state for the first time observes Daylight Savings Time.|newspaper=The Daily Sitka Sentinel}} The Uniform Time Act also defined four time zones that Alaska would use:Uniform Time Act of 1966. {{USStatute|89|387|80|107|1966|04|13}}

• Bering Standard Time (UTC−11:00), used by the west coast (including Nome) and the Aleutian Islands.[https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/usa/nome Time Zone in Nome, Alaska, USA], Timeanddate.com.[https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/usa/adak Time Zone in Adak, Alaska, USA], Timeanddate.com.
• Alaska–Hawaii Standard Time (UTC−10:00), used by most of Alaska, including Anchorage and Fairbanks.[https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/usa/anchorage Time Zone in Anchorage, Alaska, USA], Timeanddate.com.
• Yukon Standard Time (UTC−09:00), used by Yakutat.[https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/usa/yakutat Time Zone in Yakutat, Alaska, USA], Timeanddate.com.
• Pacific Standard Time (UTC−08:00), used by Southeast Alaska, including Juneau.[https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/usa/juneau Time Zone in Juneau, Alaska, USA], Timeanddate.com.

In April 1983, the Alaska Legislature approved a resolution asking the Department of Transportation to switch Alaska to use only two time zones.{{cite news|publisher=Associated Press|title=Alaska Asks for Reduction Of Time Zones|newspaper=The Daily Sitka Sentinel|date=April 20, 1983}} It was approved by Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole on September 15, 1983, and took effect on October 30, 1983.{{cite news|last=Spencer|first=Hal|title=Most of Alaska to Switch to a Common Time Zone|newspaper=The Daily Sitka Sentinel|date=September 16, 1983}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/18/us/around-the-nation-most-of-alaska-to-go-under-one-time-zone.html|title=AROUND THE NATION; Most of Alaska to Go Under One Time Zone|date=September 18, 1983|access-date=October 18, 2022|newspaper=The New York Times}} Areas east of Unalaska began using the Yukon Time Zone (UTC−09:00). Most of the Aleutian Islands, previously on Bering Time, were now using Alaska–Hawaii Time.{{cite news |quote=The big change was in Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka, the major towns in southeast Alaska, where clocks shifted back two hours to Yukon time. After decades on Pacific time, this region will now be an hour earlier, as will Anchorage and Fairbanks, which formerly were two hours earlier than Pacific time. |title=Alaska's four time zones now two |author=Wallace Turner |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/01/us/alaska-s-four-time-zones-now-two.html?mcubz=3 |date=November 1, 1983 |access-date=September 21, 2017 |newspaper=The New York Times}} As an act of Congress was required to change the name of the time zones,{{cite news|title=Most of Alaska to Switch to a Common Time Zone|author=Hal Spencer|newspaper=The Daily Sitka Sentinel|date=September 16, 1983}} the time zones did not gain their modern names (Alaska Time and Hawaii–Aleutian Time) until November 30, 1984.Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1984. Section 2003. {{usstat|97|1153}}

The tz database version {{Time zone/version}} contains seven time zones for Alaska for historical reasons. Only three (America/Adak, America/Anchorage, and America/Metlakatla) are currently in use.

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{Time in the United States}}

Alaska

Category:Geography of Alaska