1940
November, 27 Bruce Lee born in San Francisco (Letters).
1941
February, first film Golden Gate Girl; Hong Kong production filmed in San Francisco(Letters).
Japanese take over Hong Kong on December 25 (Life, page 25).1942
Japanese release propaganda film The Battle for Hong Kong (Life, page 31).
1943
U.S. planes knock out power and oil stations in Hong Kong (Life, page 27).
1945
August 15, surrender of Japan and liberation of Hong Kong (Life).
1946
Hong Kong film The Birth of Mankind(Words).
1947
1948
Hong Kong film Wealth is Like a Dream (A Life, IMDB).
1949
Hong Kong film Xi Shi in a Dream (IMDB, Life).
Mao Zedong controls China, shuts down much film production, refugees come to Hong Kong (Life, page 31).
Ip Man flees to Hong Kong with only his clothes (Life, page 52).1950
Hong Kong film The Kid (A life, Words).
1951
Hong Kong film The Beginning of Mankind (Ren zhi chu), plays Ngau-tsai who is a poor boy who runs away. 2h 10m (IMDB, Life).
1952
La Salle College Catholic boy’s school, Hong Kong (Letters).
1953
Hong Kong films Sins of the Father, Ten-Million People, A Mother’s Tears, In the Face of Demolition(Words, Life).
Studies Wing Chun under Yip Man (Letters).1954
Hong Kong Kung Fu challenge match between Wu Gong and Chen Kefu which brought new interest to Chinese martial arts (Life, page 49).
1955
Hong Kong films Love, An Orphan’s Tragedy, The Faithful Wife, Orphan’s Song, The More the Merrier (Words, Life).
1956
Hong Kong films Sweet Time Together, Too Late for Divorce(Words, Life).
1957
Hong Kong films The Thunderstorm, Darling Girl (Words, Life).
1958
Hong Kong film The Orphan(Words).
Cha-Cha dancing Champion, Hong Kong Crown Colony (Letters).
March 29, St. Francis Xavier High School (Letters).
March 29, Bruce won a western boxing tournament at St. George private school, Hong Kong (Life, 49-60)1959
Leaves Hong Kong on boat (April 29) to San Francisco (May 17) (Letters).
Edison Technical School, Seattle Washington (Letters).1960
December 2, graduates from Edison Technical School, Seattle Washington (Letters).
March 3, Hong Kong film The Orphan released (Life).1961
May 27, University of Washington (Letters).
1962
1963
March 26, visits family in Hong Kong (Letters).
August, arrives back in Seattle, Washington (Letters).
Rejected by draft board (Anthology).1964
July 19, started first Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, Oakland, California (Letters).
August 2, appears at International Karate Tournament, Long Beach, California (Letters).
August 17, marries Linda Lee Emery (Letters).1965
February 1, son Brandon Bruce Lee is born (Letters).
February 8, father Lee Hoi Chuen passes away (Letters).
April 22, William Dozier writes a letter to Bruce Lee and included a presentation for ‘Number One Son’ (Life, page 171).1966
March, moves to Los, Angeles, California (Letters).
June 6, co-stars as Kato in The Green Hornet tv show (Letters).
Conducted interviews about Gung Fu on Seattle local tv Channel 9 (Words, page 56).
Appeared on The Buddy Webber Show on local Seattle tv channel 4 (Words, page 56).1967
February 5, starts second Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute in Los Angeles, California (Letters).
May 6, appears in National Karate Championship, Washington D.C. (Letters).
June 24, appears at All-American Open Karate Championship, New York City (Letters).
July 30, appears at the Long Beach International Karate Tournament, Long Beach, California (Letters).
July 14, hired as martial arts instructor in Ironside tv series, Los Angeles, California (Words).
July, uses the term Jeet Kune Do (Letters).
Guest star as Kato in Batmantv series (Words).
Blackbelt magazine interview (Anthology).1968
June 23, appears in National Karate Championship, Washington D.C. (Letters).
July 5, hired as fight choreographer in film The Wrecking Crew(Words).
August 1, hired as criminal in film ‘Marlowe’ (Letters).
August 21, Bruce Lee films his scenes for the movie ‘Marlowe’ (Life, page 28).
September 28, Students from his Chinatown school helped him move to his new Bel Air home (Life, page 236).
October 1, moves to Bel Air, Los Angeles (Letters).
November 12, guest stars as martial arts instructor Blondie tv series (Letters).
Guest stars as groom in episode Marriage, Chinese Style on Here Come the Bride tv series (Words).1969
April 19, Shannon Emery Lee born, Santa Monica, California.
August 13: Bruce Lee attends Sharon Tate’s and Jay Sebring’s funerals (Life, page 266).
Fight choreographer in film A Walk in the Spring Rain(Words).1970
Visits Hong Kong with son Brandon (Letters).
Begins screenplay The Silent Flute(Letters).
Injures back while weightlifting, in bed for three months, produces many notes and writings (Anthology).
Raymond Chow creates Golden Harvest film production company (Anthology).1971
February 11, Bruce Lee left Bombay after scouting India for the ‘Silent Flute’ project (Life, page 275).
June 27, films first of four episodes of Longstreet tv series (Words).
July, first starring role in Hong Kong Golden Harvest film The Big Boss (aka Fists of Fury) (Letters).
September 16, Bruce Lee’s episode, ‘The Way of the Intercepting Fist’ on the television show Longstreet airs (Life, page 315).
November 25, Warner Brothers called Bruce Lee to reject ‘The Warrior.’ They will make ‘Kung Fu’ with David Carradine instead (Life, page 334).
December 7, given official notice will not star in Kung Fu t.v. series.
Begins to develop The Warrior tv show.
Interview on The Pierre Berton Show with Bruce Li: Mandarin Superstar; aka The Lost Interview (Words).1972
Second starring role in Hong Kong Golden Harvest film Fist of Fury (aka The Chinese Connection) (Letters).
Starts own production company with Golden Harvest named Concord (Letters).
May 4, Bruce Lee travels to Rome to look for filming locations for the movie ‘The Way of the Dragon.’
June 18, A landslide near Po Shan Road, Hong Kong killed sixty-seven people. In response Bruce Lee appears on a charity telethon Operation Relief (Life 399).
Third staring role and first director in Hong Kong Golden Harvest/Concord film The Way of the Dragon (aka Return of the Dragon).
October-November, filmed part of film The Game of Death (Words).
November 23, Bruce Lee signed a contract with Warner Brothers to make ‘Enter the Dragon’ (Life, page 408).1973
February, fourth staring role in Golden Harvest/Warner Brothers film Enter the Dragon(Letters).
May 10, collapses at film studio but doctors say is fit (Anthology).
July 20, passes away by cerebral edema and reaction to prescription medicine (Letters).
July 31, buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Seattle (Letters).1974
Three episodes of The Green Hornet was released as a movie (Life, page 478).
1975
Bruce’s wife Lind Lee Caldwell publishes “The life and tragic death of Bruce Lee.”
1976
1977
1978
Golden Harvest finished the film Game of Deathwith Bruce Lee appearing only in 12 minutes (Words).
Resources:
Words of the Dragon: Interviews, 1958-1973, John Little, Editor, Tuttle Publishing, 1997, 2017. Volume 1 of the Bruce Lee Library, commissioned by the Bruce Lee Estate. Interview transcripts of Bruce Lee on a variety of topics including philosophy, martial arts, and his personal life. Put together by John Little, Bruce Lee historian.
Letters of the Dragon: The Original 1958-1973 Correspondence, John Little, Editor, Tuttle Publishing, 1998, 2016. Volume 5 of the Bruce Lee Library, commissioned by the Bruce Lee Estate. Letters to friends, family, and business associates. Put together by John Little, Bruce Lee historian.
Bruce Lee Anthology: Films and Fighting, Paul Crompton, Author, Paul H Crompton Ltd. publisher, 1999. Articles from the Karate and Oriental Arts (KOA) magazine located in the United Kingdom.
Bruce Lee: A Life, Matthew Polly, Author, Simon & Schuster Publishing, 2019. Highly rated biography of Bruce Lee.