That has to be about the most research on the progression of gunpowder-cap design I've ever seen assembled in one place.
I have to admit, I admire the sheer gumption of it, though. "Oh, you doubt me? Well, here's just a little evidence I know what I'm talking about... (THUD!) So there!"
I had forgotten about that post. Based on the time stamp, maybe I spent too much time in the middle of the night doing the research for it. It is obvious that caps used to be loud and now they are lame. Besides clarifying that this change wasn't part of my imagination I was interested to see the reasons for it, which seem to include:
1. Caps are not as important a toy anymore so the remaining vendors save money by lowering quality and kids don't know what they're missing.
2. Government regulation and the safety culture.