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"Riding shotgun" was a phrase used to describe the bodyguard who rides alongside a stagecoach driver, typically armed with a break-action shotgun, called a coach gun, to ward off bandits or hostile Native Americans.
The 1939 classic "Stagecoach," starring John Wayne, featured the local marshal talking about riding shotgun; a 1954 flick titled "Riding Shotgun" starred Randolph Scott as a stagecoach guard. So how did "riding shotgun" get transferred from stagecoaches to motor vehicles?
Today, the meaning of the statement “riding shotgun” is to ride in the passenger seat of someone’s vehicle. However, the second meaning to “riding shotgun” is traveling as an armed guard beside the driver.
Apr 13, 2004 · Though disdained by marksmen, the shotgun was the weapon of choice among pony express riders and stagecoach guards – indeed, in the late 1880s and early 1890s, an express messenger was called a “shotgun messenger.” A shotgun scattered pellets, making it easy to hit your target at short range.
The term “riding shotgun” originated in the American Old West, where it referred to the armed guard who rode in the passenger seat of a stagecoach. The guard’s job was to protect the passengers and cargo from bandits and other outlaws. Riding shotgun was a dangerous job, but it was also a prestigious one.
Mar 2, 2017 · The modern phrase, “riding shotgun,” didn’t appear until 1919. The term may have first been recorded in a newspaper story published in the Ogden Examiner. It was later used many times in print and film when depicting wagons and stagecoaches under threat or attack by bandits.
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When was the term 'riding shotgun' first used?
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How did 'riding shotgun' get transferred from Stagecoach to motor vehicles?
The term ride shotgun originated in the Wild West, where stagecoach drivers would often hire armed guards to ride alongside them in the passenger seat, armed with a shotgun to protect the passengers from bandits.
