Re: 100 years ago, they had the technology to...
It wasn't all that long ago that two jumbo jets collided on an airport runway and burst into flame. The potential for triple digit casualty accidents has been here for a long time. When you factor in war and terrorism, it gets much worse. It is now possible to send a nuclear powered aircraft carrier, 80 aircraft and 5000 crew to the botton using only one conventional explosive.
At the Battle of Midway in 1942, the Japanese lost 4 carriers in an afternoon.