How did trains standardize time in the United States? - William Heuisler

Bi Bandora Trênê Çawa Saeta Standart Pêk Hat? - William Heuisler

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

Translator: Mehmet Sıddık Dilek Reviewer: ronya bewran

Bi pêşketin û belavbûna xeta trênê

The development and spread of railroads

across the United States

gellek guhertin li Amerîka’yê

brought a wave of changes to American life.

pêk hatin.

During the railroad boom,

Bi çêkirina xeta trênê

thousands of jobs were created,

bi hezaran mirov bûn xwedî kar,

new towns were born,

bajarên nû hatin avakirin,

trade increased,

bazirganî geş bû,

transportation was faster,

çûn û hatin bileztir bû,

and the overall landscape of the nation transformed.

û hemû jiyana gel pêş ket.

But, perhaps the most interesting change of all

Lê guhertina herî balkêş

is the least known:

kêm tê zanîn:

the establishment of standard time.

Dema yekgirtî ya standart.

Today, we know if it is 6:28 a.m. in Los Angeles,

Îro em dizanin ku li Los Angeles’ê saet 06:28 be

it is 9:28 a.m. in New York,

li New York’ê 09:28,

2:28 p.m. in London,

li London’ê 14:28,

5:28 p.m. in Moscow,

li Moscow’ê 17:28,

and 10:28 p.m in Tokyo.

û li Tokyo’ê 22:28 e.

No matter where you are,

Li her derê dinyayê

the minute and second are the exact same.

xulek û saniye wekhev in.

But, before the railroads,

Lê berî xeta trênê

there was no need for a national or global clock,

pêdivî bi saeta netewî û cîhanî tune bû,

and each town kept its own local time.

her bajarî saeta xwe ya herêmî bikardianî.

So when it was 12 noon in Chicago,

Lewre li Chicago’yê saet 12.00 bû,

it was 12:07 p.m. in Indianapolis,

li Indianapolisê 12:07 ,

11:50 a.m. in St. Louis,

li St. Louis’ê 11:50,

and 11:27 a.m. in Omaha.

li Omaha’yê 11:27 bû.

This worked just fine when the only modes of travel

Ev pergal di dema hespan de

were horses or steamboats,

bê pirsgirêk dimeşiya,

but it became incredibly problematic

lê bi bikaranîna trênê re

when railroads came along.

gellek pirsgirêk derketin.

How can you keep a train schedule

Bi saetên cuda yên herêmî,

when each town has its own time?

bernameya trênê dê çawa çêbe?

And how do you prevent collisions or accidents on the tracks

Ku her trên saeteke cuda bikar bîne,

if train conductors are using different clocks?

çawa tevlihevî û qeza bên astegkirin?

It doesn't really make sense to leave a station at 12:14 p.m.,

Ku trên ji stasyonekê saet 12:14 derkeve,

travel for 22 minutes,

piştî 22 xulekan, li stasyona din

and arrive at 12:31 p.m.

saet 12:31 be, tevlihevî çêdibin.

In order to eliminate that confusion,

Ji bo ku ev tevlihevî çênebin,

the railroads of the United States and Canada

li Amerîka û Kanada’yê

instituted standard time zones

saeta yekgirtî ya standart

on November 18, 1883 at noon.

di sala 1883’yan de hat sazkirin.

It allowed the railroad companies

Vê sazkirinê rê li ber

to operate more effectively

tevlihevî û qezayên bixeter girt.

and reduce deadly accidents.

Lê raya giştî saeta yekgirtî bi hêsanî nepejirand,

The American public, however,

was not so quick to embrace this new change,

li gellek bajaran bikaranîna saeta herêmî

as many cities continued to use their own local time.

dewam kir.

Resistance was so strong that, in some towns,

Heta li gellek bajaran saetek ji bo saeta herêmî,

clocks would show both the local time and the railway time.

yeka din jî ji bo xeta trênê hat bikaranîn.

Imagine this conversation:

Li vê pirsê binêrin:

"Pardon me, sir. Do you have the time?"

"Biborin, saet çend e?"

"Why yes, which do you need?

"Kîjan saetê hûn dixwazin?

It's 12:13 local time and 12:16 railway time."

Saeta herêmî 12:13 e, ya trênê 12.16 e."

Ultimately, the logic of keeping a standard time prevailed,

Di dawiyê de saeta standart biser ket,

and the United States government made time zones a matter of law

û di sala 1918'an de

with the Standard Time Act of March 19, 1918.

bi zagonê hat qebûlkirin.

Ji hingî ve gellek veguhestin hatin kirin,

Since then, there have been numerous changes

to the time zones,

lê konsepta saeta yekgirtî ya standart

but the concept of standard time has remained.

hat parastin.

But, the United States was actually not the first

Amerîka ne welatê yekem e

ku saeta yekbûyî bikaraniye.

to develop standard time.

The first company to implement the use of standard time

Yekem car saeta yekgirtî li Brîtanya’yê

was the Great Western Railway in 1840 in Britain,

di sala 1840’î de ji aliyê şîrketên trênê ve hat bikaranîn,

and by 1847, most British railways were using

û heta 1847'an hemû şîrketên Brîtanya’yê

Greenwich Mean Time, or G.M.T.

saeta Greenwich [G.M.T.] bikar anîn.

The British government made it official

Dewleta Brîtanya’yê di sala 1880’yî de

on August 2, 1880 with the Statutes, or Definition of Time, Act.

ev saet bi awayê fermî pejirand.

But, while Britain may have been the first

Bi pejirandina vê zagonê

to establish standard time,

yekem car saeta standart saz bû,

it is Asia and the islands of the South Pacific

saetên yekem yên rojê

that enjoyed the first hour of each new day.

li Asya’yê û li giravên başurê Pasîfîk’ê dest pê dikin.

The International Date Line

Xeta navnetewî ya demî

passes through the Pacific Ocean

di okyanûsa Pasîfîk’ê re,

on the opposite side of the Earth

li dijî rexê dinyayê yê Greenwich

from the Prime Meridian in Greenwich where,

derbas dibe.

thanks to trains,

Bi xeta trênê,

standard time was first used.

saeta standart saz bû.

Trains have evolved over the years

Bi salan trên gellek pêş ketin

and remain a prominent form

û her dem li seranserê dinyayê

of transportation and trade throughout the world.

bûn hîmeke veguhestinê.

And, from the New York City subways

Di metroya New York City’yê de,

to the freight trains traveling across the Great Plains,

li Kanada’yê,

to the trolleys in San Francisco,

di tramvaya San Francisco’yê de,

they all know exactly what time it is.

hemû kes dizane saet çend e.

And, thanks to them, we do too!

Spasî li wan,em jî dizanin!