[kubafu]

I think you are right, it probably wasn't. Since people are good at adapting then "new normal" for them is the noisy world.

On the other hand, a place I currently live in, almost no one keeps horses, cows, chickens etc, anymore, which are audible. Only a handful of dogs which love to bark. When every household was a private farm it had to be much louder around here! It's not as simple as I thought.