ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Old-time radio

Old-time radio refers to the era when most people used to listen to the radio for entertainment. It was very popular in the 1930s and 1940s, before television became widespread.

When you listen to the radio, you can't see anything, so you have to use your imagination to picture what's happening. Old-time radio shows were like really long stories that people would listen to. They had different kinds of shows, like comedy, drama, mystery, and adventure.

One of the most famous shows was called "The War of the Worlds." It was a story about an alien invasion that was so realistic that some people actually thought it was really happening.

The actors on old-time radio shows would do everything with their voices – they would talk, sing, make sound effects, and even pretend to be different characters. They would stand in front of a microphone and read their lines while the sound effects and music played in the background.

There were even old-time radio commercials, just like there are commercials on TV today. People would listen to them and buy the products being advertised, just like they do now.

Nowadays, we have a lot more ways to be entertained, like TV, movies, and video games. But old-time radio was a really important part of history, and it helped shape the way we entertain ourselves today.