How railroads inspired the creation of time zones

How railroads inspired the creation of time zones Getty Images The invention of railroads ushered in a new era of land travel, and forever changed the way humans perceive time. B&O Railroad Museum The first telegraph was sent from the US Capitol building to what is now the site of the B&O Railroad Museum "The existence of different local time zones created major problems for the railroad," he explained. As railroads began to better connect cities and towns to one another, it became apparent that stations couldn't keep listing dozens of arrival and departure times for each train based on local time zones. On 18 November 1883, the US and Canadian railroad industries adopted Fleming's idea, but because of the sheer size of the North American continent, it was decided that four major time zones would be created: Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time – each of which remain relatively unchanged to this day. Getty Images Travel by train is once again on the rise in destinations around the world "With a new unified time zone system, railroad accidents were far less likely to occur," Goldman explained.