Eighty years ago, there was a war going on. That meant that you didn’t have gas to drive around, so your entertainment could mean nights at home. Since you might not have been able to go out and buy items to keep you amused, you might need to make them yourself.

This couple, for example, is playing a game of baseball, thanks to a tabletop baseball game, the blueprints for which appeared in the April 1944 issue of Popular Science. According to the magazine, the game was scientifically designed and offered all the thrills of a real major-league game.