Standard Time

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Standard time is the synchronization of clocks within a geographical area or region to a single time standard, rather than using solar time. Standard time in time zones was instituted in the U.S. and Canada by the railroads on November 18, 1883. Prior to that, time of day was a local matter, and most cities and towns used some form of local solar time, maintained by a well-known clock on a church steeple, for example, or in a jeweler’s window.