There was also a time when being a millionaire made you rich, meaning one million dollars in assets. Our house (which we own outright) is getting close to a million dollars (it was $200K and change when we bought it) and we're basically pretty close to poverty....
=^..^=
A million dollars in cash is still something.
But with the price of real estate in many areas, you are right, it doesn't amount to a great deal.