And of course the survivorship bias that ignores the millions that failed or broke. There really isn't any economic difference between how products were manufa

And of course the survivorship bias that ignores the millions that failed or broke. There really isn't any economic difference between how products were manufactured long ago and how they are now -- they're both built to perform the expected task, and it would be a waste of effort and materials to make it do more. When your processes and materials aren't very well controlled, then making the average product last a reasonable time means that some products will last much longer.