system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How did the stock market operate before computers and the internet?
gpt
Pretty much the same way as it does today, just slower. 

Back then the you would get a special newspaper that would have a massive list of stock prices from the previous day.

If you had a question you would call your broker and say, "I wan't to buy 10 shares of X." The Broker would ask about the max you were willing to spend.

The broker would call his guy on the floor of the stock exchange. He would say, add 10 shares of X to your shopping list, don't go over whatever price.

The company X would either have a representative on the floor or be represented by a firm who would have a representative on the floor.

That representative would occasionally call people to a little booth sort of thing on the floor of the exchange. Periodically, he would call guys on the floor to his booth to exchange company x stock. He would say,
"Alright guys, price from yesterday is $10, who wants to sell?" One guy would pipe up, "I'll sell 50!" The representative would shout, "Who want's to buy 50 at $10?" Then your broker's guy on the floor could say, I'll do 10 at that price!" Or wait and see. Somebody else could say "I'll do 50 at $10!" To be challenged by another guy going "I'll pay $11!!" If no one was interested the representative would say, "Alright not $10, $9, who's in at $9?".

After your broker purchased the shares they would file a little thing saying they bought them, and eventually the paper certificates of the shares would go to your broker.

There was usually a little bit of leeway with timing. When you decided to sell your actual stock certificate wouldn't be there for your broker's guy on the floor to sell, he would just give an iou for X shares until they actually arrived at the exchange.