The United States passed an Act of Congress on 3 August 1882 authorizing the President to call an international conference to fix on a common prime meridian for time and longitude throughout the world . Before the invitations were sent out on December 1 , the joint efforts of Abbe , Fleming and William Frederick Allen , Secretary of the US railways ' '' General Time Convention '' and Managing Editor of the '' Travellers ' Official Guide to the Railways '' , had brought the US railway companies to an agreement which led to standard railway time being introduced at noon on 18 November 1883 across the nation . Although this was not legally established until 1918 , there was thus a strong sense of '' fait accompli '' that preceded the International Meridian Conference , although setting local times was not part of the remit of the conference
International Meridian Conference
International Meridian Conference
Paris meridian