The historian Eric Hobsbawm once wrote that the 19th century didn't end until the cataclysm of 1914, and that the 20th finished early with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989. I think 1990-2001 was an innocent decade and the 21st century started on 9/11.

Similarly "the long 19th century" is 1789 -- 1914 (Ilya Ehrenberg and Hobsbawm).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_nineteenth_century

Yes. I remember very well President Bush saying these attacks will not change America. I wish I could find a quote.

One of the things it changed dramatically was air travel. Remember meeting family/friends at their arrival gate as they walked off the plane? Remember getting through "security" in a few minutes because the lines moved so fast?

In the 1980s and early 1990s, my father routinely disassembled pistols and put them in his checked luggage so he could target shoot at his destinations. Imagine doing that today.

You can still check firearms for air travel. It's actually a great way to ensure your bag doesn't get lost.

You have to go to the ticket agent, and say I need to check a firearm. There's a little red ticket form you fill out and place on your bag. Then you take it to a special drop off. It has to be in a locked hard case that only you can open.

See also: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunit...