January 1 in Swedish History

1879; Sweden introduces standard time and all clocks in the entire country will for the first time show the same time 

  • Sweden introduces one standard time on January 1st, 1879. Before this date, the time could differ with as much as 24 minutes depending on where in Sweden you were.
  • January 1 in Swedish History
    1879: On January first in 1879, Sweden introduces standard time, which means all clocks in the entire country will show the same time regardless of geographical location. Prior to standard time, there was a time difference of as much as 24 minutes from the westernmost and easternmost parts of Sweden, since people judged time according to the position of the sun in the sky. The new time is referred to as ”järnvägstid” or ”railway time” since exact timetables for the railway is one of the reasons standard time is being introduced. Prior to standard time, the station had one clock for the trains’ time and one clock showing the local time, and the timetables had to be changed to fit the local time.