What caused people around the world to coordinate time?

The widespread expansion of railroads and telecommunication in the 19th century necessitated standardized timekeeping for scheduling and coordination, as varying local times led to confusion and inefficiencies. The introduction of the telegraph further highlighted the need for synchronized time across regions. In 1884, the International Meridian Conference established the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) as a global time standard, facilitating international communication and travel. This standardization allowed for smoother operation in commerce and transportation, ultimately leading to the global time zones we use today.