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For all but a fortunate few leisure was in short supply in
the days when there was no separation between home and work and later, when the
industrial revolution ushered in a time of 12-hour work days six days a week. Towards
the end of the 19th century this began to change. Work hours
lessened and the cost of living went down. People had more money and more time
to spend it.
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The entertainment industry grew to meet that need with Nickelodeons
starting to open up at the beginning of the 20th century. It was a
short step from there to silent films, then talkies. People were out and about
taking in the scene whether they were participants in events or spectators being
entertained. Were our ancestors active or passive in their leisure pursuits?
Sources:
Crowley,
David and Paul Heyer. Communication in
History: Technology, Culture, Society. Pearson Education, Inc., Boston,
2007
Fang,
Irving. A History of Mass Communication:
Six Information Revolutions. Focal Press, Boston, 1997
Goodman,
Ruth. How to Be a Victorian. Viking,
Penguin Group, London, 2013
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