What did we do in times before electricity?

Before electricity, there was gas. I live in a 100-year-old apartment building and there are these stubs on the wall where the gaslights used to be attached. Before gas, the world was kinda dark after sunset, even with candles. Improvising without electricity is deinitely an interesting exercise. A couple of summers ago there was that big blackout along the East coast. Fortunately it happened in the daytime, so I had a few hours of daylight to scramle around and find candles, matches, etc. The odd thing was that one side of a street in my town had power, the other side didn't. Strange.

before electricity people would get up with the sun and go to bed with it too.. They would read for a while. Do some mending with what light came from the fire place. I can remember having to clean the chimney from the oil lamps. It was expensive so we used it sparingly. We had a wood stove to heat the house and use it to cook on heat water for coffee, washing up, baths and laundry. We pumped the water from a well. We didn’t have a vacuume so we swept and moped the floor. We did the laundry once a week. We wore our cloths more than one day because of the hard work to wash it

when our power goes out we play cards, and board games. Its something that we dont do very often, and maybe we should. But just to spend some time together as a family is good enough for me.

This is when we learned to have fun in the dark. Played Ghost in the Graveyard. Talked with eachother, Played games by candle light. Told Stories, and slept better, as we were more relaxed by the time it was bed time, according to the wind up clocks... This also forced everyone to engage more in real community function. Everyone would leave their homes to a church, or a barn for a couple of hours, and dance, sing, court. Do good old fashioned fun. Competitions..... And not have to worry as much about eachother.... But also forced people to stand up and care for eachother more as they were around eachother more, and not shut away isolating to be with their beloved technology as much. - DNatureofDTrain - DNatureofDTrain

before electricity they had plenty to keep them busy. Like splitting wood for a fire, kniting clothes, milk or slaughter cows. and over all had more to do just to live. I think by the time the sun went down they were to tired to do anything else

I remember one summer the lights went out, so we started a fire in the backyard, and some neighbors and passersby joined us, and had a great time. I was actually disappointed when the lights came back on, because I realized that it takes people a blackout to be social sometimes. I've never even seen these people before!

I light candles and read for a bit and play games. Back in the day people read alot way more than we do. The kids play games and stuff, most went to bed when the sun went down. You cooked with a fireplace, you heated water with the fireplace. I don't think to many people today would be able to survive without electricity.

the science has spoit us although life must have been difficult without it but not as much as we feel today

I had the same experience before and it's even worse when you are alone, it seems that there's nothing you can do but to go to sleep! I ended up reading to candle lights it has some atmosphere but not good for the eye even with multiple candles on it's still reddish light.

Once when I was younger our power went out and we all huddled around a tiny battery powered tv. I thought that was sad. So I tried to get some people involved in a game, but no one was interested. I just wound up going to bed. Today, when our power goes out, my family plays board games, or pretend we're camping.