On this day in history, November 27^th, a man was born who would change the world of martial arts: Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee was born “Lee Jun-Fan” on November 27^th, 1940 in San Francisco, California, the son of a Cantonese opera singer Lee Hoi Chuen. After a year of living in San Francisco, the family returned to Hong Kong. At the age of five, because of his father, Bruce Lee starred in a number of child roles in films. As depicted in a film such as Karate Kid (2010), as a sort of homage to Bruce Lee, Lee found himself being beaten up by a street gang; Lee then found himself under the tutelage of martial artist “Sifu Yip Man”, setting him on his path of martial arts and philosophy.

July 20, 1973, actor, philosopher, teacher, martial artist Bruce Lee died; he was only 32 years old. In such a short time, he managed to revolutionize popular culture, film, philosophy, and martial arts. After his death, he has become known as the king of martial arts film and the father of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). He did it not only with his martial arts skills and athleticism, but also as a writer, director, and philosopher.

Lee left behind some of the most intense fights scenes ever in his films such as “Enter the Dragon” and “The “Chinese Connection.”, but his legacy also includes a book on the martial arts and Eastern philosophy, and several volumes of writings on everything from Taoism, psychotherapy, and the power of positive thinking. “His message of self-discovery, truthfully expressing yourself and functionality over blind dedication to tradition still resonates as strongly today as it did in the 60’s and 70’s,” said the Lastdragontribute.com. Lee influenced generations of people because of his films – children trying to mimic Lee’s fighting, later have those children dedicate their lives to martial arts.

Today, Bruce Lee is still admired and loved by many, with celebrities such as Connor McGregor and Jackie Chan expressing their love and how Lee influenced them to become the best they could be in martial arts. His influence on the world will be felt for generations.  “He came, he saw & walked away,” from J. Black’s eulogy for Bruce Lee.