[net.mail.headers] What time zone is Alaska in?

v.wales@UCLA-LOCUS.ARPA (01/26/84)

A few weeks ago, I thought I heard a fleeting news item on the radio to
the effect that Alaska was changing its time zone.  Rather than continue
to be split across three zones (Yukon, Alaska/Hawaii, and Bering) -- so
the story went -- all parts of Alaska would henceforth keep Yukon time
(GMT-9; GMT-8 in summer).

Is the above actually the case, or was I suffering from a sophisticated
aural hallucination?

If this is true, then I suppose the long-standing confusion between BST
(Bering Standard Time) and BST (British Summer Time) no longer exists.
I wonder whether the Alaska Legislature contains any mail hackers.

-- Rich <v.wales@UCLA-LOCUS>

RSX-DEV@DEC-MARLBORO.ARPA (01/26/84)

What you heard on the radio is almost true.

Alaska used to have FOUR time zones:  Bering for the Aleutian Islands
and the mainland points along the Bering Sea and Strait, Alaska for
most of the state, Yukon for ONLY Yakutat, and Pacific for the area
around Juneau.

Now there are two.  All the mainland points (including Juneau!) have
moved to Yukon time (UCT-9).  The Aleutians are now on what used to
be Alaska time (UCT-10) -- the same as Hawaii time.

But the people at the Weather Station at Shemya don't know what the
name of their timezone is.  Since this was done on the day they would
have otherwise dropped from BDT back to BST, they think they're still
on Bering Time (since they didn't change time).
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