When did people first discover time zones, and how?

by [deleted]
Searocksandtrees

hi! not discouraging other responses, but FYI, you can get started in this section of the FAQ (link on sidebar):

Time zones and time differences

MadKingRyan

not fully answering your question, as such as correcting it (sorry) but they weren't discovered, so much as "created", as they're just arbitrary points in space where we've decided "this much light in the sky, that's where the sun is, therefore it is x time"