Back in the days before instant information technology, people had to wait for the news to come to them via word of mouth or delivered paper.
Crazy, I know.
Imagine what it’s like being an Atlanta Braves fan having to sit through the night not knowing what was going on in the game because you lived too far away from the radio broadcast. You would have to find a way to sleep and wait until next morning to find out the final score when the paper was delivered to your door.
Even worse, think about what it was like when family member left the house?