1

Lee could smash through wooden boards that were six inches in thickness. While others might revel in this ridiculous feat of strength, Lee would famously say: “Boards do not hit back”. Accordingly, he was much more of a fan of opponents who could give him some inkling of a challenge. Seeing as there weren’t many in his league, he usually needed numerous opponents.

2

The man who taught Bruce Lee his legendary technique, Yip Man, gave lessons and opened a school for martial arts because he was addicted to opium and needed cash to buy the drug. The great, flawed teacher made a deal with Lee that he would only share kung fu with fellow Chinese, and never teach a foreigner the secrets of the craft. Lee broke that promise, but changed millions of lives.

3

Lee’s mother, Grace Ho, was half German.

4

It has been confirmed that the time it took Bruce Lee’s to not only react but strike back, from a distance of 3 feet away was 0.05 seconds. How could anyone hope to beat that? Well, in one scene 50 men came up against him, and he destroyed every last one. What a man.

5

At the tender age of 32, Lee suffered an allergic reaction to a pain killer, called Equagesic. We can only imagine what he would have achieved if this tragic and unlucky occurrence had not come to pass.

6

Bruce Lee fanatically scrutinized the fights of Muhammad Ali, watching them over and over to gain all he could from the footage. They were surely two of the greatest fighters to have ever lived.

7

Mostar, Bosnia could not decide on a public statue that would please everyone. Eventually, however, a statue was erected of Lee because every ethnicity appreciated his brilliance and character. Ignorant vandals would eventually destroy the statue.

8

Bruce Lee was an ardent fan of the incredible Indian wrestler, The Great Gama. Gama is the only undefeated wrestler in history, with a career that stretched over 50 years. Lee studied his training methods and learned much from him.

9

The legendary Chuck wasn’t much into admitting defeat at the hands of another, but he reluctantly admitted that he was no match for his buddy Bruce.

10

Lee was training James Coburn and launched a sidekick that completely destroyed a 150 lb punching bag. James Coburn’s career would take off after the lessons he received from the masterfull Lee.

11

Using chopsticks, Bruce Lee could catch grains of rice as they flew through the air. For real. Filmmakers literally had to slow a movie down so that viewers could appreciate his moves.

12

Coca-Cola cans were apparently previously made of thicker steel than today, and yet Lee could use his intense strength to jab his fingers clean through the top of an unopened can of Coke.

13

Lee once kicked Jackie Chan and, not realizing his own strength, injured Chan. Chan was apparently incredibly honored by the chance to be beaten up by his hero, responding with a hug.

14

Bruce was very nearly killed when he suffered a very serious spinal injury. The vital fourth sacral nerve in Lee’s spine was smashed in. For most men, that would be the end of agility, if not mobility. However, Lee was desperately driven to prove the doctors wrong, coming up with own psychological philosophy to restore his physical powers. It was a case of mind over matter, and when he skipped from the hospital, he was more powerful than ever before.

15

In 1958, as an 18-year-old, Bruce Lee was honored as the Hong Kong Cha-Cha champion.

16

Using the thumb and index finger of one hand, Lee could do one-hand push ups. He could also do 50 one-arm chin-ups. Yes, you read right. 50. As in 50 more than you could do.

17

The year was 1962 and Bruce Lee landed 15 punches as well as a kick within 11 seconds. Obviously, his opponent was out cold. That’s not even saying anything about his infamous one-inch punch.

18

Bruce Lee once broke a bystanders arm in an extremely hard core way – by kicking an opponent so hard that he went flying and smashed into the bystander. Lee kicked the man so hard because the guy had screwed up the last scene, a mistake that led to Lee’s hand being badly cut by a bottle. Moral of the story: you didn’t mess with Bruce Lee.

19

The star’s actual corpse played a pivotal role in the film Game of Death, as footage was taken from his funeral and used. In Dragon Warrior, a CGI version of Bruce continued to kick ass in the tradition of the man himself.

20

His movements were both accurate and incredibly quick. The great Bruce Lee could pluck a dime out of a person’s open palm before they had the chance to close it. Impressive enough, but to put the icing on the cake, he’d leave a penny behind in the dime’s place. Obviously, his training was relentlessly, driven by an unmatched work ethic.