While people did not always have electricity, they did have light, in the form of candles and fireplaces, and they did not just sit glumly in the dark! People gathered together to sing, to play musical instruments, to tell or read stories, or to play cards, or to dance. Women would gather together to do sewing or needlepoint, or to shuck corn, entertaining each other while they got work done. People also played chess, checkers,...
While people did not always have electricity, they did have light, in the form of candles and fireplaces, and they did not just sit glumly in the dark! People gathered together to sing, to play musical instruments, to tell or read stories, or to play cards, or to dance. Women would gather together to do sewing or needlepoint, or to shuck corn, entertaining each other while they got work done. People also played chess, checkers, backgammon and a few other board games, although many board games did not become popular until after most people had electricity. Reading was a solitary pleasure, too, as was playing a musical instrument. Children played with jacks and jump ropes, and they played hopscotch, a long time before there was electricity. In fact, there is a famous painting called "Games," by Breugel, painted in 1560, which will give you some idea how many games children played without the benefit of computers and game systems! I have included a link to the painting, and it is so interesting to see how people entertained themselves that long ago.
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