Standard Time Zones & Local Mean Time

[Zoidiasoft Tech]

I think I saw a comment in the database portion (Eurpoe file) that there was 
a standard zone as early as 1835 around Belgium / Netherlands.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Patte" <dpatte at relativedata.com>
To: <tz at lecserver.nci.nih.gov>
Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2011 9:06 AM
Subject: Standard Time Zones & Local Mean Time


> Does anyone have insight into the dates when standard timezones, based 
> from Greenwich and at 15 degree intervals (as are still used in 
> international waters) started coming into general acceptance or law? Am I 
> correct to assume that the first place to use 'standard time' was Britain 
> in 1847, but that the international acceptance of a 'world' timezone 
> system based on GMT offsets only really started with Sir Andrew Fleming's 
> proposals in 1879?
>
> Also, before that, when did 'mean time' as opposed to 'solar time' start 
> coming into general acceptance? I read that it was when accurate 
> mechanical clocks started becoming available in the early 1800s. Anyone 
> have an approximate date for first adoption of mean time by a city?
>