Before the Internet and TVs and phones and telegraphs, there were two options: Do something or watch something. Boredom had to be filled somehow, so in Ye Olden Days humans would get drunk or do other drugs to pass the time. Play games with your friends, write songs and make music, and my favorite activity of old: watching terrible things happen. Older WTYP disasters involve a lot of bored people watching horrific events with great interest. I'm reminded of the popular beheadings, where people would go for a picnic to watch someone's head get cut off, or the times where people would watch battles.
Today we continue this grisly tradition via LiveLeak and :sicko-yes:
reading / listening to the person who knows how to read
many, many, more holidays and festivals to prepare for/participate in