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

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

翻译人员: Min Jie Lee 校对人员: zhiqiang liu

The development and spread of railroads

铁路网络在美国的发展与扩散

across the United States

铁路网络在美国的发展与扩散

brought a wave of changes to American life.

为美国人民的生活带来了巨大的改变

During the railroad boom,

在铁路爆发式发展的年代

thousands of jobs were created,

创造了数以千计的工作岗位

new towns were born,

新的城市

trade increased,

贸易的提升

transportation was faster,

更迅速、便利的交通

and the overall landscape of the nation transformed.

更改变了这个国家的面貌

But, perhaps the most interesting change of all

但是，铁路所带来的最有趣的改变

is the least known:

却是鲜为人知的

the establishment of standard time.

那就是标准时间的成立

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

如今，我们知道， 若洛杉矶的时间是早上6点28分

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

纽约时间便是早上9点28分

2:28 p.m. in London,

伦敦是下午2点28分

5:28 p.m. in Moscow,

莫斯科是下午5点28分

and 10:28 p.m in Tokyo.

而东京则是晚上10点28分

No matter where you are,

不论你身在何处

the minute and second are the exact same.

时间的分、秒都是确定的

But, before the railroads,

然而，在铁路网络成立之前

there was no need for a national or global clock,

却完全没有国家或国际标准时间的用武之地

and each town kept its own local time.

每座城市都有自己当地的的时间

So when it was 12 noon in Chicago,

若在芝加哥是中午12点

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

在印第安纳波利斯是中午12点07分

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

圣路易斯是上午11点50分

and 11:27 a.m. in Omaha.

奥马哈是上午11点27分

This worked just fine when the only modes of travel

在当时只有马车或蒸汽船做为交通工具的年代

were horses or steamboats,

并无大碍

but it became incredibly problematic

但在铁路开始运作时

when railroads came along.

却造成了许多问题

How can you keep a train schedule

要如何在每座城市各有不同时间的同时

when each town has its own time?

设立火车时间表

And how do you prevent collisions or accidents on the tracks

并且避免火车在铁路上运行时

发生碰撞或意外

if train conductors are using different clocks?

当火车长按各自不同的时间计时

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

一列火车在中午12点14分离站

travel for 22 minutes,

行驶了22分钟后

and arrive at 12:31 p.m.

却在中午12点31分抵达下一站， 似乎并不合理

In order to eliminate that confusion,

为了排除因为时间上的差异而造成的困扰

the railroads of the United States and Canada

美国和加拿大

instituted standard time zones

于1883年，11月18日，中午时分

on November 18, 1883 at noon.

制订了标准时区

It allowed the railroad companies

这让铁路公司

to operate more effectively

更有效地运作

and reduce deadly accidents.

也减少了铁路上致命事故的发生率

The American public, however,

然而，美国群众

was not so quick to embrace this new change,

却未能够即时接受这一改变

as many cities continued to use their own local time.

因为各个城市已用惯了各自的时间

Resistance was so strong that, in some towns,

在某些城市，由于民众激烈的反抗

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

当地民众更会以使用不同的时钟

Imagine this conversation:

想象以下这段对话

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

“不好意思，先生。请问您知道现在时间吗？”

"Why yes, which do you need?

“这当然，你指的是哪个时间？

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

现在当地时间是12点13分， 铁路时间是12点16分。“

Ultimately, the logic of keeping a standard time prevailed,

当然，到了最后， 标准时间的使用成了一种规律

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

美国政府也将时区列入法律

with the Standard Time Act of March 19, 1918.

并于1918年3月19日生效

Since then, there have been numerous changes

自此之后

to the time zones,

时区虽然经过几番修改

but the concept of standard time has remained.

但标准时间的概念却保留了下来

But, the United States was actually not the first

然而，美国其实并非第一个

to develop standard time.

设定标准时间的国家

The first company to implement the use of standard time

第一家使用标准时间的公司

was the Great Western Railway in 1840 in Britain,

是英国大西铁路公司， 于1840年开始使用标准时间

and by 1847, most British railways were using

到了1847年， 大多数英国铁路已使用格林威治时间

Greenwich Mean Time, or G.M.T.

简称GMT

The British government made it official

英国政府也在1880年8月2日正式

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

生效时间定义法案

But, while Britain may have been the first

虽然英国是第一个

to establish standard time,

制定标准时间的国家

it is Asia and the islands of the South Pacific

亚洲和南太平洋的岛屿

that enjoyed the first hour of each new day.

却是每天迎接第一道阳光的地方

The International Date Line

国际日期变更线

passes through the Pacific Ocean

横跨太平洋

on the opposite side of the Earth

在地球的另一面

from the Prime Meridian in Greenwich where,

经过本初子午线，也就是格林威治的所在地

thanks to trains,

因为火车

standard time was first used.

而促成标准时间的成立。

Trains have evolved over the years

火车经过了许多年的演变

and remain a prominent form

至今仍是链接世界各地的

of transportation and trade throughout the world.

重要交通工具之一

And, from the New York City subways

无论是纽约的地铁

to the freight trains traveling across the Great Plains,

穿越大平原的货运火车

to the trolleys in San Francisco,

或是三藩市的电车

they all know exactly what time it is.

大家都清楚每一刻的时间

And, thanks to them, we do too!

感谢它们，我们能有标准时间！