The idea that audiences panicked when the train approached them in the 1890s films isn't supported by contemporary descriptions, which only state that police were present for crowd control due to the popularity of the new picture shows.

Descriptions of panic only started showing up decades later without supporting sources or eyewitnesses. Panic at trains was actually on the screen in a couple of classist comedies from the US and UK. "He's such a hick, I bet he gets scared of trains!" was the punchline.

Why have facts when you can have "factoids"? They're simple, convenient, and it doesn't matter if they're true or not: it only matters whether or not they conform to your narrative of what the past was like! 😅