I think a lot of people in this thread are too young to understand what is meant by attic. Go upstairs in a house built in 1920, that’s an attic. A tiny cubby in a cavity left by engineered trusses is not. You’ll also notice the modern house, even a cheap one, is far better insulated.
I realize now perhaps they meant livable attic. That wasn't obvious to me. Crawling through non livable attics framed with trusses is part of my work sometimes.