You obviously have not looked at old houses in detail. They are far worse quality than today. Sure they may have used old growth lumber which was slightly stronger, but they had no concept of what was quality. I've seen 2x4 used for floor joists, no insulation in walls, and many other engineering failures. And of course there is survivorship bias, the worst examples are torn down already.

Sure the old houses looked stronger, and and often were in places where strength is not needed. However they often are lacking in critical areas.