Showing posts with label Hong Kong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hong Kong. Show all posts

Tuesday, 21 December 2021

Charles Ralph Boxer | Timeline

Sir Charles Ralph Boxer FBA GCIH (8 March 1904 – 27 April 2000) was a British historian of Dutch and Portuguese maritime and colonial history. In Hong Kong he was the chief spy for the British army intelligence in the years leading up to World War II. (Intro from Wikipedia)

There is only one book on the market about the life of Charles R. Boxer, a large book but very incomplete as far as dates and places are concerned. I was in doubt whether I would publish this incomplete timeline, but in the end I decided to do so with the hope of finding more details over time and getting the help that readers can also give. For now, some key moments in Boxer's life will sit in my file waiting for precise dates and locations.

March 8, 1904 - Sandown, Isle of Wight, England - Charles Ralph Boxer is born
September 21, 1905 - Tolpuddle - Beryl Alice, sister of Charles Boxer, is born 
January(?) 1(?), 1910 - Gibraltar - Hugh Boxer’s battalion was order to Gibraltar and his family accompanied its head to the Rock. At the age of six he became the only male pupil in the Catholic convent school. He also began his lifelong interest in travelling during the family’s four-year sojourn in Gibraltar, accompanying his parents on extended visits to Spain and Tangiers
June 16, 1915 - While in Shanklin, Isle of Wight - Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Boxer, Charles' father, is mortally wounded by German artillery in Flanders. His body was never found
March(?) 1(?), 1918 - Crowthorne, Berkshire - During the Lent term, Charles enrolls at the venerable Wellington College in Berkshire, having obtained a scholarship offered to the sons of Wellingtonians killed in the war
June(?) 1(?), 1921 - Crowthorne - Wins the Parsons Prize on Speech Day at his graduation, for the best oral recitation of a selected text
July 1(?), 1921 - Tidworth Pennings - Becomes a member of "B" Company and spends July at an Officer Training Corps camp in Tidworth Pennings
December 31(?), 1921 - Crowthorne, Berkshire - Charles leaves Wellington College impressively ranking 30th out of some 200 Cadets
January(?) 1(?), 1922 - Sandhurst, Berkshire - Charles enters the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst as a “Gentleman Cadet” and among the many graduates who preceded him were Winston Spencer Churchill and Sir Bernard Montgomery, who played prominent roles in World War II
January(?) 1(?), 1923 - Sandhurst - Charles becomes a member of the Hakluyt Society
January 31, 1924 - Sandhurst, Berkshire - Charles Boxer, shortly before reaching 20-years-old, is commissioned as a second lieutenant in His Majesty’s Lincolnshire Regiment =(START)
March 31, 1924 - Lincoln(?) - Two months later he joined his first battalion. The same year, he also made his first serious efforts to equip himself to pursue another career, that of a historian, not of Britain but of distant empires that had belonged to its rivals, Holland and Portugal
June(?) 1(?), 1924 - Lincolnshire - Charles learns the Portuguese history and language and begins teaching himself Portuguese. The same year he starts to study the Dutch language as well
June(?) 1(?), 1925 - Lisbon | Évora, Portugal - Charles visits Portugal for the first time and explores resources of Lisbon’s Biblioteca Nacional (the National Library) and the Torre do Tombo (the National Archives), as well as those of the renowned Public Library of Évora, holder of an invaluable manuscript collection concerning the old State (Estado) of India
August(?) 1(?), 1925(?) - Aldershot, SW of London - Assigned temporarily to Aldershot Military Depot
October(?) 1(?), 1925(?) - Holywood, near Belfast, N.Ireland - Stationed at Holywood, near Belfast, Northern Ireland
January 31, 1926 - Lincoln(?) - Promoted to Lieutenant
September 1(?), 1926 - London - Publication of the article "O 24 de Junho de 1622: Uma façanha dos portugueses" i.e. "the 24th of June 1622: a portuguese feat of arms" in a new scholarly portuguese bulletin
January 1(?), 1927 - London - Publication of the article "Relação da perda da Nau 'Madre de Deus' no porto de Nagasaki em Janeiro de 1610" (Report of the loss of the ship 'Madre de Deus' in the port of Nagasaki in January 1610)
January 27, 1927 - London - Charles Boxer begins his long career as a public lecturer with the first of several talks before the Japan Society
June(?) 1(?), 1927 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Goes to Amsterdam for the first time. Meets the director of the Naval Museum, Willem Voorbeytel-Cannenburg. Meets Captain Johan Carel Marinus Warnsinck
June 24, 1927 - Lincoln - Letter to J.C.M.Warnsinck
August 27, 1927 - Lincoln - Letter to J.C.M.Warnsinck
September 7, 1927 - London(?) - Meets Sir William Foster, editor of "The English Factories in India" series
September 8, 1927 - Lincoln - Letter to J.C.M.Warnsinck
January 8, 1927 - Lincoln - Letter to J.C.M.Warnsinck
January 18, 1928 - Lincoln - Letter to J.C.M.Warnsinck: "I hope to write more about the anglo-dutch wars in [Europe?] and elsewhere, and prove...what a tough struggle the 'Hogen-mogens' really gave us!"
January(?) 1(?), 1929 - London - Charles Boxer enrolls at the School of Oriental Studies at the University of London, then the only British institution offering the study of the Japanese language
June 15, 1929 - While in London - In her fifty-third year, Jeannie Boxer, Charles' mother, commits suicide at a nursing home in Weymouth, fourteen years after the loss of her husband
December 20, 1929 - London - Letter to J.C.M.Warnsinck, informing him that he was about to embark to Japan
January 24, 1930 - London - Charles departs for Japan aboard the Ocean liner "Atsuta Maru"
January 30(?), 1930 - Gibraltar - Port call at Gibraltar
February 2, 1930 - Marseille, France - Port call at Marseille
February 3, 1930 - Chateau d'If - Visit to Chateau d'If
February(?) 8(?), 1930 - Naples, Italy - Port call at Naples
February(?) 15(?), 1930 - Port Said, Egypt - Port call at Port Said
February(?) 23(?), 1930 - Colombo, Sri Lanka - Port call at Colombo
March(?) 1(?), 1930 - Singapore - Port call at Singapore
March 3, 1930 - Hong Kong - Port call at Hong Kong
March 7, 1930 - Shanghai, China - The "Atsuta Maru" reaches Shanghai
March 11, 1930 - Kobe, Japan - The "Atsuta Maru" reaches Kobe and there Charles boards a train for Tokyo
March 12, 1930 - Tokyo - Reaches Tokyo and reports to the Military Attaché at the British Embassy to begin his duties
April 18, 1930 - Tokyo - Letter to J.C.M.Warnsinck
May 26, 1930 - Tokyo - Letter to J.C.M.Warnsinck
July 1(?), 1930 - Nikko | Kyoto | Kobe | Deshima - Visits to Nikko (N. Of Tokyo) and Kyoto, Kobe and the island of Deshima
August 10, 1930 - Tokyo - Letter to J.C.M.Warnsinck, informing him he was about to travel to Formosa (Taiwan)
October 15(?), 1930 - Formosa (Taiwan) - Enjoying a visit to Formosa
November 15(?), 1930 - Tokyo - Returns to Tokyo, via Kobe and Nara
June(?) 1(?), 1931 - Kyoto, Japan - Boxer moves from Tokyo to Kyoto where he becomes attached to the 38th Nara Infantry Regiment as a LO (Language Officer) and lives with his Japanese hosts in their barracks
September 31, 1931 - Tenri, Nara, Japan - Visit to Tenri University with Minister Pabst
June(?) 1(?), 1932 - Nagoya, Japan - Boxer has a new assignment at Toyohasi Non-Commissioned Officers school in Nagoya
May 5, 1933 - Tokyo(?) - Farewell lunch with Malcolm Kennedy and George Sansom
May 7, 1933 - Shanghai, China - Boxer ends his assignment and begins a leisurely trip down the coast of China with Pabst, visiting Shanghai, Amoy, Hong Kong, Canton, Macao, Manila and the spice islands of the eastern end of the archipelago of Indonesia, always examined the city’s national libraries and inspected some of its rarities
June(?) 25(?), 1933 - Java | Jakarta - Boxer spends two and half week in Java, principally in Batavia (Jakarta)
July 12, 1933 - Jakarta, Indonesia - Boxer boards a dutch ship to Genoa, Italy
July 28, 1933 - Port Said, Egypt(?) - Boxer and Pabst sign "Merkwaerdige Moluxche Hofreis ofte"
August 2, 1933 - Genoa, Italy - The dutch ship arrives in Genoa
September(?) 1(?), 1933 - Lincolnshire - After a short period of home leave, Boxer rejoines the second battalion of the Lincolns, then stationed in Yorkshire
January 25, 1934 - London - Reads a paper at a meeting of the Japan Society
July 21, 1934 - Jaffa Lines, Catterick Camp, Yorkshire - Letter to Edgar Prestage
January 1(?), 1935 - London - Boxer is assigned to the intelligence division of the War Office in London
March 21, 1935 - While in London - His sister Alice dies
March 27, 1935 - While in London - His brother Myles, grief-stricken with her sister's death, commits suicide with a shotgun
October 1(?), 1935 - The Hague - Boxer returns to Holland at the invitation of the Netherlands Geographical Society and delivered two lectures, the first in The Hague 
October 5(?), 1935 - Amsterdam - Second lecture, in Amsterdam
November 14, 1935 - London - Reads a paper at a meeting of the Japan Society
December 1(?), 1935 - London - Boxer learns that his next assignment is in Hong Kong
December 5, 1935 - London - Letter to Edgar Prestage
June(?) 1(?), 1936 - Portugal - Boxer spends two weeks in Portugal with his sister Beryl
October 1(?), 1936 - Moscow, Soviet Union - Encounter between Charles and Beryl at the principal Moscow railroad station to cross the Eurasian continent via the famous Trans Siberian railroad
January 1, 1937 - Aberdeen, SW Hong Kong - Charles separates of Beryl and take charge at the fishing village of Aberdeen, where the Royal Navy Base was situated
February(?) 1(?), 1937 - Macao - Boxers begins spending long weekends in Macao, the Portuguese outpost that he had visited briefly on his way home from Japan in 1933
April 13, 1937 - China - By car, bus, boat and train, Boxer travels through five of China’s southern provinces with a driver and a Mandarin interpreter
July 7, 1937 - While in Hong Kong - War in the Far East begins with a clash between Japanese and Chinese troops at Lukouchiao bridge, near Beijing
May 13, 1938 - Hong Kong - Boxer sets out from Hong Kong unaccompanied to a China excursion
August 1, 1938 - Shanghai, China - Boxer undertakes another trip to China to the famous city of Shanghai to liaise with fellow intelligence officers. He meets Emily Hahn, a famous writer and correspondent of The "New Yorker’s" in China, better known as "Mickey". Both were contributors to the "T’ien Hsia Monthly", a new English newspaper with the purpose of building cultural bridges between readers
June 8, 1939 - Hong Kong - Charles Boxer and Ursula Norah Anstice Tulloch, a woman born in England in 1909 commonly called the most beautiful in Hong Kong, are married in a fashionable military wedding in Hong Kong’s Episcopal cathedral
June 13, 1939 - Japan - Honeymoon in Japan, where they spend three weeks (13 June to 7 July) visiting Kyoto, Kobe, Tokyo and Nikko. Charles Boxer combines business with pleasure and consults old friends, including Dutch and Portuguese ministers.
October 10, 1939 - Chungking, China - Boxer meets with the Generalissimo Chiang Ki-shek and hands him a memorandum that he had prepared about what the Japanese were planning to do next
September 27, 1940 - While in Hong Kong - Japan announces its signature of the Tripartite Pact with Italy and Germany
October 27, 1940 - Hong Kong - Mickey Hahn takes residence in May Road in Hong Kong next door to Boxer’s house. By that date and probably before, the two were quite openly involved in one of World War II’s most publicized love affairs
January(?) 1(?), 1941 - Hong Kong - Boxer is promoted to Major and becomes Hong Kong’ s senior intelligence officer
October 17, 1941 - Hong Kong - Daughter Carola Militia Boxer is born
November 1(?), 1941 - Hong Kong - The General Officer Commanding Hong Kong informs the War Office in London about the recent increase in Japanese naval activities which had completed a virtual encirclement of Hong Kong
December 8, 1941 - Hong Kong - Hong Kong experiences the first of many air raids, and in a few hours, Japanese forces occupiy the New Territories and Kowloon in the mainland
December 13, 1941 - Hong Kong - A launch with a white flag of truce leaves Kowloon with two Japanese officers aboard and heads for Queen's Pier in Hong Kong Island, where they were met by Major Charles Boxer. The japanese request the british surrender
December 17, 1941 - Hong Kong - Hong Kong suffers a particularly heavy air raid, followed by a severe shelling. About 9:30 a.m. that activity largely ceases and another peace launch leaves Kowloon for the Queen’s Pier, at the Hong Kong island, with a second demand for surrender. Again, Major Boxer receives the Japanese delegation
December 18, 1941 - Hong Kong - In the morning, Hong Kong is bombarded by continuous artillery, mortar and dive-bombing, which damages hospitals, destroys gun emplacements, water mains, rice storage facilities and barracks. That evening, a japanese invasion force of 7,500 men is launched
December 20, 1941 - Hong Kong - Boxer is shot in the back by an unseen sniper. He lays grievously wounded for hours before he is found and rushed to Queen Mary Hospital and placed in its morgue
December 25, 1941 - Hong Kong - Governor Mark Young, after consulting advisors, orders General Maltby to arrange a cease-fire, which officially begins at 3:25 p.m. 
January 21, 1942 - Hong Kong - Boxer is transferred to Bowen Road Military Hospital
May 23, 1942 - Hong Kong - A japanese official parades the Bowen Road Military Hospital patients and the staff and require them to sign the parole. Boxer refuses
September 23, 1942 - Hong Kong - Carola Boxer and Mickey Hahn depart for the Philippines and Mormugão, a neutral Portuguese port in Goa on the former French liner "Teia Maru" as the result of a programme of exchanges of Japanese and foreign nationals
October 15, 1942 - While in Hong Kong - Carola Boxer and Mickey Hahn arrive at Mormugão and board the swedish hospital-ship "Gripsholm"
October 22, 1942 - While in Hong Kong - The "Gripsholm" leaves Mormugão
November 13, 1942 - While in Hong Kong - The "Gripsholm" reaches Rio de Janeiro
December 1, 1942 - While in Hong Kong - Carola Boxer and Mickey Hahn arrive in New York
June 28, 1943 - Shamshuipo Gendarmerie Station - The gendarmerie begins arresting and torturing the conspirators. Boxer is implicated and sent to the Argyle Street Camp
October 19, 1943 - Stanley, Hong Kong - Boxer and others are marched to the prison assembly hall, where a japanese tribunal assembled
October 21, 1943 - Stanley Prison, Hong Kong - Boxer and others POWs are transferred to Stanley Prision after accusations of disobedience and conspiracy. Some of them are executed
October 29, 1943 - Stanley Prison - 32 prisoners are sentenced to death by a japanese tribunal and beheaded
November 5, 1943 - While in Stanley Prison - While Boxer is in Stanley Prision, in Colombo - Sri Lanka, Ursula petitions for divorce in Britain’s High Court of Justice in Colombo concerning Boxer’s infidelities with Mickey Hahn
December 1, 1943 - Stanley Prison - Officers Ford, Gray and Newnham are sentenced to death by a japanese tribunal
December 18, 1943 - Stanley Prison - Officers Ford, Gray and Newnham are executed with a shot in the back
December 23, 1943 - Stanley Prison - Boxer receives his sentence, expecting months of solitary confinement and starvation rations
April 1(?), 1944 - Stanley Prison - Conditions in stanley Prison improve
June 22, 1945 - Tungshan jail, Hebei Province, NW of China - Taken by train to Kowloon, then to Tungshan jail
August 16, 1945 - While in Tunshan jail - Surrender of Japanese forces
August 22, 1945 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Train to Kowloon, escorted by japanese soldiers
August 29, 1945 - Hong Kong - British carrier planes fly over Hong Kong to announce the proximate arrival of a formidable fleet under command of Admiral Sir Halliday Harcourt
September 16, 1945 - Hong Kong - Two weeks after the Japanese government’s surrender aboard the battleship "USS Missouri", the oft-postponed Japanese surrender of Hong Kong takes place
September 25(?), 1945 - Hong Kong - Provides sworn deposition concerning his knowledge of the arrest, trial and execution of Col.Newnham, Capt.Ford and Flight-Lt.Gray
October 23, 1945 - Hong Kong - Boxer leaves Hong Kong on board the "Shirrabank" directly for San Francisco. It was the first (of many) visits to the United States
November 28, 1945 - New Haven, United States - Boxer and Emily or Mickey Hahn get married in New Haven’s courthouse
December 26, 1945 - New York - Boxer flies from New York to Honolulu and Japan as a member of the British Far Eastern Commission
December 27(?), 1945 - Honolulu, Hawaii - Arrives in Hawaii and boards the communication ship "Mount McKinley"
January 14, 1946 - Tokyo, Japan - Meeting with Koda Shigetomo in the Shorin Esseido bookstore
February 1(?), 1946 - Japan - Returns to Japan as a member of the British Far Easter Comission, a post in which he serves until 1947
May 1(?), 1946 - While recovering in Halloran Hospital, Staten Island - Sir William R. Halliday, principal of King’s College London invites Boxer to reconstitute the Camoens Department of Portuguese which had been suspended during the war. The Camoens chair was the first of its kind anywhere in the English-speaking world
June 1, 1946 - Halloran Hospital, Staten Island - Examined in Halloran Hospital
July 28, 1946 - New York City - Sails for Southampton on board the "RMS Queen Mary"
August 2, 1946 - Southampton - "RMS Queen Mary" arrives in Southampton
August 3(?), 1946 - Conygar (or Coneygar), Dorset, England - Taxi directly to Conygar
August 15(?), 1947 - London - Provides sworn deposition concerning his knowledge of the arrest, trial and execution of Col.Newnham, Capt.Ford and Flight-Lt.Gray
October 31, 1947 - London - Boxer presents his inaugural lecture at the King’s College, University of London, on three of the great chroniclers of Portugal’s eastern empire entitled “Three Historians of Portuguese Asia (Barros, Couto and Boccaro)"
December 23, 1947 - London - Boxer retires on disability just over a month short of having completed twenty-three years of military service
January(?) 1(?), 1948 - London - Charles Boxer publishes "Fidalgos in the Far East, 1550–1770". Fact and Fancy in the History of Macao
October 20, 1948 - New York City - Daughter Amanda is born. Boxer visits the Hispanic Society
November 1(?), 1948 - London(?) - Publishes the article "Salvador Correia de Sá e Benavides and the Reconquest of Angola in 1648"
January(?) 1(?), 1949 - São Paulo | St.Luis, Pará, Brazil - Visits to research
January(?) 1(?), 1950 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Boxer is awarded a honorary doctorate by the University of Utrecht
October 1(?), 1950 - Washington D.C. - Luso-Brazilian colloquium in Washington D.C.
January(?) 1(?), 1951 - London - Boxer publishes "The Christian Century in Japan"
September 1(?), 1951 - Goa, Portuguese India - Stays for a month in Goa. Flies to Diu for a visit
December 7, 1951 - Hong Kong - Rendezvous with Mickey in Hong Kong
December 25, 1951 - Conygar (or Coneygar), Dorset, England - Christmas in Conygar
January(?) 1(?), 1952 - Lisbon, Portugal - Charles is awarded with a honorary doctorate by the University of Lisbon
December 1(?), 1952 - London(?) - "Salvador de Sá and the Struggle for Brazil and Angola 1602-1686" is published
January 26, 1954 - Recife, Brazil - Celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the surrender of Dutch Forces in Northeast Brazil
July 1(?), 1954 - Salvador, Brazil - Researching the city's archives
August 1(?), 1954 - Pernambuco, Brazil - Researching the city's archives
January(?) 1(?), 1955 - St.Tomé, West Coast of Africa - Visit to the Island of St.Tomé
February(?) 1(?), 1955 - Luanda, Angola - Visit to Angola. Surveys the resources of the city's archives
January(?) 1(?), 1956 - London(?) - Boxer finishes writing "The Dutch in Brazil"
January(?) 1(?), 1957 - London - Boxer publishes "The Dutch in Brazil"
June(?) 1(?), 1957 - São Paulo, Brazil - Visits to Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Iguaçú waterfalls
September 1(?), 1957 - Lisbon, Portugal - Participates in a Portugal-Brazil colloquium
September 15(?), 1957 - Mombasa, Kenya - Travels to Kenya to advise Gulbenkian Foundation concerning the merits of funding a proposal to repair and rehabilitate the fortress of Fort Jesus in Mombasa
January(?) 1(?), 1959 - London - Boxer publishes "The Great Ship from Amacao"
January 30(?), 1959 - Rio de Janeiro | Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Travels to Rio de Janeiro, then to Belo Horizonte to conduct research
August 1(?), 1959 - Salvador, Brazil - Attends a conference in Bahia and spends time at the city's local archives. Honorary Doctorate from Universidade Federal da Bahia
April 30(?), 1960 - Johannesburg, South Africa - Four lectures at Witwatersrand University
August 6, 1960 - Lagos | Sagres, Algarve - Portugal - Boxer participates in three-day commemorations the Fifth Centenary of Prince Henry the Navigator's death and witnesses the political nature of the event with the presence of the Portuguese President Américo Thomaz and the President of Brazil Juscelino Kubitschek. C.R.Boxer speaks on behalf of the British representatives at the congress, citing a similar event in London at the British Museum (1960), entitled "Prince Henry the Navigator and the Portuguese Maritime Enterprise" (Catalogue of an Exhibition at the British Museum, 1960)
September 1(?), 1960 - Lisbon, Portugal - Week-long international conference on the history of the discoveries at the University of Lisbon
November 13, 1960 - Batalha, Portugal - Culmination of the Henrican celebrations at the Batalha Monastery
February 15, 1961 - London - Gives the 43rd annual Raleigh Lecture on History at a gathering of the British Academy
March 25, 1961 - Ringshall, England - Returns to Ringshall after 5 weeks in Angola
June(?) 1(?), 1961 - Manila, Philippines - 10-day trip to Manila, Philippines
January(?) 1(?), 1962 - London - Boxer publishes "The Golden Age of Brazil, 1695–1750"
September 1(?), 1962 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Historical conference in Utrecht
November 25, 1962 - London - Departs for lectures in the United States
November 28(?), 1962 - Charlottesville, Virginia, United States - Three conferences at the University of Virginia - "Morocco and West Africa", "Mozambique and India" and "Brazil and Maranhão"
December 3, 1962 - Ithaca, New York - Lecture at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York
December 5, 1962 - Cambridge, Massachusetts - Lectures at Harvard University (5th and 6th)
August 1(?), 1963 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Participation in a conference at Brazil's Instituto Histórico
December 27, 1963 - While in Ringshall(?) - Lisbon's "Diário Popular" publishes the first of four articles by Armando Cortesão under the title "The Insidious book". The subtitle read "From an honest lusophile to a lusophobe of bad faith or the volte-face of Professor Boxer"
September 1(?), 1964 - Madison, Wisconsin - Lecture at the University of Wisconsin
October 1(?), 1964 - Madison, Wisconsin - Lecture at the University of Wisconsin
October 1(?), 1965 - London - Boxer publishes "The Dutch Seaborne Empire"
August(?) 25(?), 1966 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Attends the Congress of Asian Historians of 1966
April 1(?), 1967 - London(?) - Boxer receives an offer from the Department of International Relations at the Australian National University
May 9, 1967 - Oxford - Lecture at Oxford University
June 30(?), 1967 - London - Boxer retires from King's College and writing and begins an intense collaboration with the main American universities, namely Yale, Harvard and Indiana. Meeting with friends at the Braganza Restaurant in London
October 1, 1967 - Bloomington, Indiana - Arrives in Bloomington
October 12, 1968 - Bloomington - Meeting with Howard R.Lamar, chairman of Yale University
November 1(?), 1968 - Lawrence, Kansas - Lectures at the University of Kansas
November 8, 1968 - While in Bloomington - Yale's executive council and provost approve the appointment of C.R.Boxer
December(?) 1(?), 1968 - Minnesota, Minneapolis - Lectures at the University of Minnesota
January(?) 1(?), 1969 - London - Boxer publishes "The Portuguese Seaborne Empire"
September 15(?), 1969 - New Haven, Connecticut - Boxer holds a personal chair in the history of European Overseas Expansion at Yale University
November 1(?), 1969 - Chicago - Travels from New Haven to Chicago where he becomes keynote speaker at the Newberry Library Conference on Colonial Brazil
April(?) 1(?), 1970 - Angra, Terceira Island, Azores - Surveys the archives of Terceira Island, Azores, during the Spring
November 30(?), 1970 - Puerto Rico - Four days in Puerto Rico celebrating the 25th anniversary of his marriage
March 1(?), 1971 - Hong Kong - Flies to Hong Kong and Macao for a week of meetings. Honorary doctorate, University of Hong Kong
March 14, 1971 - New Haven, Connecticut - Returns to New Haven
April 1(?), 1971 - Lawrence, Kansas - Lectures at the University of Kansas
April 8, 1971 - New Haven, Connecticut - Returns to New Haven
June 15(?), 1971 - Ringshall, England - Returns to England
September(?) 1(?), 1971 - Bloomington, Indiana - Returns to Bloomington in the Autumn for 4 months
October 1(?), 1971 - New Haven, Connecticut - Spends a weekend in New Haven
October 15(?), 1971 - Antigua - Spends 4 days in Antigua
November 1(?), 1971 - New Haven - Annual meeting of the Society of the Discoveries
November 25, 1971 - New Haven - Thanksgiving
December 25, 1971 - Ringshall, England - Christmas in Ringshall
January(?) 1(?), 1972 - São Paulo, Brazil - Trip to São Paulo, Brazil
April(?) 1(?), 1972 - Ponta Delgada, S.Miguel Island, Azores - Examines the archives of St.Miguel Island during the Spring
October 25, 1972 - Near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Spends 4 weeks at the Bryn Mawr College and delivers 4 lectures until November 15th
December(?) 1(?), 1972 - New Haven, Connecticut - Retires from Yale University
January(?) 1(?), 1973 - Bloomington, Indiana - Returns to Bloomington to teach
January 15(?), 1974 - Charlotesville, Virginia - From mid january to mid-May he teaches at the University of Virginia
June(?) 1(?), 1974 - Ringshall, England - Summering in Ringshall
September 1(?), 1974 - St.Louis, Missouri - Boxer travels to St.Louis to teach at the University of Missouri
July(?) 1(?), 1975 - Bloomington, Indiana - Teaching at the University of Indiana during the second semester of 1975
November 1(?), 1975 - While in Bloomington - Mickey establishes her permanent residence in New York to avoid british taxes
March 1(?), 1976 - Baltimore, Maryland - Delivers James Schouler lectures at John Hopkins University
April(?) 1(?), 1976 - Bloomington, Indiana - Returns to Bloomington in the Spring
January(?) 1(?), 1977 - Bloomington, Indiana - Teaching at the University of Indiana
February 1, 1977 - Bloomington, Indiana - Letter to Frank Lequin
November 29, 1977 - Lisbon, Portugal - At his friend Armando Cortesão's deathbed
January 5, 1978 - Ann Harbor, Michigan - At the University of Michigan until May 5th
December 17, 1978 - Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire - Letter to Frank Lequin
January 3, 1979 - Little Gaddesden - Departs for Indiana
May 1(?), 1979 - Bloomington, Indiana - Retires from teaching in Indiana
July 25, 1979 - Melbourne, Australia - Public Lecture at La Trobe University on the "Iberian Dutch World War 1600-1650"
August 15, 1979 - Perth, Australia - Conference on the Indian Ocean in Perth (until 22th)
August 25, 1979 - Sydney, Australia - Leaves Australia for Britain
August 27(?), 1979 - Ringshall, England - Returns to England
November 1(?), 1979 - Lisbon, Portugal - Spends 5 days in Lisbon
November(?) 15(?), 1979 - Ringshall, England - Returns to England
December(?) 1(?), 1979 - Abu Dhabi | Muscat, Oman - 10-day conference that included a visit to Muscat
February 1(?), 1980 - Japan - Spends a month visiting Japan, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Goa
March 1(?), 1980 - Peradeniya, Sri Lanka - Honorary doctorate, University of Peradeniya
April 22, 1980 - Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire - Letter to Frank Lequin
May 1(?), 1980 - United States
June 1(?), 1980 - Amsterdam | Leiden | Groningen | The Hague
July 1(?), 1980 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
October 1(?), 1980 - Lisbon, Portugal
November 1(?), 1980 - Muscat, Oman - Spends 12 days in Oman
September 1(?), 1981 - Macao, Portugal (today China) - Returns to Macao
January(?) 1(?), 1982 - Beijing, Guangzhou, China - Spends a month visiting China at the invitation of China's academy of sciences
May 1(?), 1982 - Alto Minho, Northern Portugal - Spends two weeks in Alto Minho with a family of friends, the Wilsons
June 14, 1982 - Leiden, Netherlands - Attends Frank Lequin's "promotie" in Leiden
January(?) 1(?), 1983 - Stockholm, Sweden - Visits an exhibit of chinese porcelain in Stockholm
January(?) 1(?), 1985 - New York City - Travels to New York for meetings
January(?) 1(?), 1986 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Gold Medal from the "Instituto Historico e Geografico Brasileiro"
January 1(?), 1987 - Florence, Italy - Visit to Harold Acton, an old China friend. Invited for a Seminar
February(?) 1(?), 1987 - Pisa, Italy - Invited for a Seminar
May 1(?), 1987 - Paris , France - Lecturing at the "École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales"
August(?) 1(?), 1987 - New York City - Travels to New York for meetings
January(?) 1(?), 1989 - New York - Travels to New York for meetings
March 8, 1989 - While in London(?) - Letter from the President of Portugal, Mário Soares, congratulating Professor Boxer on his birthday, thanking him for his important work on the Portuguese Expansion and informing him of the decision to award him with the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Santiago da Espada, whose badges will be imposed on him in a timely public ceremony....
July 25, 1989 - Greenwich, London - Awarded the Caird Medal of the National Maritime Museum
December (?) 1(?), 1989 - Funchal, Madeira Island - Portugal - International conference in Funchal
January(?) 1(?), 1990 - Lisbon, Portugal - Charles R.Boxer is decorated with the Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator and the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Santiago da Espada (St.James of the Sword)
January(?) 1(?), 1991 - Tenri, Nara, Japan - Spends 3 weeks in Japan at the invitation of Tenri University
January 1(?), 1992 - Macao, Portugal (today China) - Receives another honorary Doctorate from the University of Macao
June(?) 1(?), 1992 - Florence, Italy - Last trip abroad to give his final seminar at the invitation of K.N.Chaudhuri, holder of the Vasco da Gama chair at the European University in Florence
January(?) 1(?), 1993 - Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire - Boxer starts going blind
March 8, 1994 - Little Gaddesden - 90th anniversary celebrations in a pub in Little Gaddesden
January(?) 1(?), 1995 - Manchester - Publishes "The Golden Age of Brazil. Growing Pains of a Colonial Society, 1695-1750" - Manchester
April 26, 1996 - While in Little Gaddesden - His first wife, Ursula Churchill-Dawes, dies
February 18, 1997 - While in Little Gaddesden - Mickey Hahn dies in New York, 10 days after suffering a serious fall
April 27, 2000 - St.Albans, Hertfordshire - Charles Ralph Boxer dies, aged 96 =(END) 

~Work in Progress~

Monday, 11 October 2021

Bruce Lee | Timeline

Lee Jun-fan (November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973), better known as Bruce Lee, was a Hong Kong American martial artist, actor, director, martial arts instructor and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that is often credited with paving the way for modern mixed martial arts (MMA). Lee is considered by commentators, critics, media, and other martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century, who bridged the gap between East and West. He is credited with helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films. (Intro from Wikipedia)

November 27, 1940 - San Francisco, California - Lee Jun-fan is born
February 1(?), 1941 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Appears in his first film, 3-months old
January(?) 1(?), 1946 - Kowloon - Begins filming the first of 20 cantonese-language films before reaching the age of 18
May 30, 1950 - Kowloon - "The kid" is released, starring 9-year-old Lee Jun-fan
January(?) 1(?), 1952 - Kowloon - Enrolls at Hong Kong's La Salle College, a Catholic school for boys, where he starts using the name "Bruce"
January(?) 1(?), 1953 - Kowloon - Begins studying Kung Fu under the grandmaster of the Wing Chun system, Yip Man
April 1(?), 1953 - Kowloon - Young Bruce Lee acts in the movie “The Guiding Light”
June 1(?), 1953 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie "A Mother's Tears"
September 1(?), 1953 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie "Blame It on Father"
October 1(?), 1953 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “A Myriad Homes”
November 1(?), 1953 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “In  the Face of Demolition”
January 1(?), 1955 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “Love"
February 1(?), 1955 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “An Orphan’s Tragedy"
June 1(?), 1955 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “The Faithful Wife”
September 1(?), 1955 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “Orphan’s Song”
October 1(?), 1955 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “We Owe It To Our Children”
February 1(?), 1956 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “The Wise Guys Who Fool Around”
December 1(?), 1956 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “Too Late For Divorce”
March 1(?), 1957 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “Thunderstorm”
December 1(?), 1957 - Kowloon - Bruce acts in the movie “Darling Girl”
January(?) 1(?), 1958 - Kowloon - Wins the Hong Kong's Crown Colony Cha-Cha championship
March 29, 1958 - Kowloon - Transfered to St.Francis Xavier High School after being expelled from La Salle College
September 1(?), 1958 - Kowloon - Bruce Lee wins the Hong Kong schools boxing tournament, drawing on his knowledge of Wing Chun during fights and reaches the final defeating British-born champion Gary Elm, who had held the title for three consecutive years at Kowloon's King George V School in Hong Kong =(START)
April 29, 1959 - Kowloon - Bruce was the leader of a street "gang" called "Tigers of Junction Street", which was involved in many disputes against rival gangs or members of other Kung Fu schools. In one of these fights that took place on the terrace of a building, Bruce Lee representing the Wing Chun school, faced a representative of the Choy Lay Fut style (who was the son of an important member of the Triads mafia) and defeated him. His father considering the consequences of this fight, decides to send him to the US immediately, understanding that it was the only way to preserve his life, since he kept getting into trouble and gang fights. Threats from influential Hong Kong mobsters and warnings from the police were unrelenting. So his father sends Bruce to the United States to stay with his older sister, Agnes Lee
May 4, 1959 - Tokyo, Japan - The ship stops at Tokyo and Lee visits the city. During the 18-day trip, Bruce earns some money by teaching cha-cha-cha lessons.
May 12(?), 1959 - Honolulu, Hawaii - Stop at Honolulu, Hawaii
May 17, 1959 - San Francisco, California - Arrives in San Francisco
September 3, 1959 - Seattle, Washington - Moves to Seattle to continue his high school education. He also begins working as a waiter in Ruby Chow's restaurant
December 2, 1960 - Seattle - Completes his high school education and receives his diploma from Edison Technical School
March 27, 1961 - Seattle - Enrolls at the University of Washington, studying dramatic arts, philosophy and psychology
March 26, 1963 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Returns to Hong Kong to visit his family
August 1(?), 1963 - Seattle, Washington - Bruce Lee returns to Seattle and discovers he has been drafted into the army. But when taking the exams, he is considered unfit for military service due to an excessive curvature of the arch of his feet and because he had a suspended testicle. Bruce was also nearsighted and wore glasses since his pre-teen years, but in the US he started to wear contact lenses and, in addition, his right leg was almost an inch shorter than the left. Not to mention his height of 1.68m which, by American standards, was very short
September 1(?), 1963 - Seattle - Lee reaches the advanced studies of philosophy in his junior year at the University of Washington. There he meets 17-year-old Linda Emery, also in her first year at the university. Bruce starts to lecture regularly on Kung Fu and Chinese Philosophy
October 25, 1963 - Seattle - First date with Linda Emery
June 6(?), 1964 - Seattle - Bruce graduates and leaves the University of Washington to devote himself exclusively to Kung Fu classes in Seattle
July 19, 1964 - Oakland, California - Bruce Lee moves to Oakland to live with James Yimm Lee, a martial arts pioneer
August 2, 1964 - Long Beach, California - Invited to the Long Beach International Karate Championships - Lee demonstrates his technique
August 3, 1964 - Oakland - Begins Kung Fu instruction in Oakland
August 17, 1964 - Seattle - Marries Linda Emery
September 2, 1964 - Oakland - Letter to Bill Evans
December 1(?), 1964 - Oakland - Lee is challenged by a Northern Shaolin style martial artist of Kung Fu named Wong Jack Man, who represented the traditional schools of the Chinese community. The reason for the challenge was Lee's open criticisms and challenges to traditional Kung Fu styles, which he considered ineffective for real fighting compared to his Wing Chun-based style (Jun Fan Kung Fu). So, if Bruce won, he would have the right to continue teaching whoever he wanted; if he lost, he would have to close the institute. Bruce beat Wong Jack Man, but recognizes that he was at the limit of his breath and in inadequate physical shape for a life-or-death confrontation. James Yimm Lee and Linda (pregnant with Brandon Lee) and some of Wong Jack Man's companions were the only witnesses to the fight that took place behind closed doors inside Oakland's Jun Fan Kung Fu Institute.
February 1, 1965 - Oakland - His son Brandon Bruce Lee is born
February 4, 1965 - Oakland - Jay Sebring, a hair stylist to Hollywood stars who watched Bruce Lee's demonstration at Long Beach International Karate, recommends him to producer William Dozier, who was looking for someone to play the son of the famous chinese detective, Charlie Chan, in a series that would be called "The Number One Son". Bruce Lee is called in to audition at 20th Century Fox Studios
February 8, 1965 - While in Oakland - His father, Lee Hoi Chuen, dies in Hong Kong
February 15, 1965 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Attends his father's funeral. Letter to Linda Emery
March 6, 1965 - San Francisco | Seattle, Washington - Returns to the United States. Flies to Seattle on the same day
May 10, 1965 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Letter to Taky Kimura
August 16, 1965 - Kowloon - Letter to James Yimm Lee
September 1(?), 1965 - Seattle, Washington - Lee Family returns to Seattle and temporarily lives in the home of Linda Lee's mother, who had not yet approved her daughter's marriage to Bruce, considering the fact that he was still not working as he was expecting to be called for the recordings of "Green Hornet". Bruce's mother-in-law didn't see any future in teaching Kung Fu either
December 1(?), 1965 - Oakland - Lee Family moves to Oakland, living again in James Yimm Lee's house for a month until they rent an apartment
December 18, 1965 - Oakland - Letter to George Lee
March 1(?), 1966 - Los Angeles - Lee family moves to Los Angeles, California. Bruce opens the third Lee Jun Fan Kung Fu institute
March 31, 1966 - Los Angeles - Letter to George Lee. Bruce Lee informs him that he is about to start giving private lessons and that the prospective students are Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, James Garner, Don Gordon and Vic Damone
April 9, 1966 - Los Angeles - Letter to Fred Sato
June 6, 1966 - Los Angeles - Shooting of the "Green Hornet" TV series begins in Desilu-Culver Studio
September 9, 1966 - Los Angeles - The first episode of "Green Hornet" titled "The Silent Gun" is released
September 20(?), 1966 - Los Angeles - Van Williams and Bruce Lee appear with Green
Bruce Lee as Kato

Hornet and Kato on the Milton Berle Show to promote the TV series
September 28, 1966 - Los Angeles - Green Hornet and Kato quickly appear as guest stars in an episode of Batman, also produced by William Dozier, to promote the series The Green Hornet
January 8, 1967 - Los Angeles - Bruce Lee's first entry (in Chinese) is recorded in which he identifies his method as “Path of the Intercepting Fist”, aiming at personal development as a martial artist
February 5, 1967 - Los Angeles - Opens the Los Angeles chapter of the Jun Fan Kung Fu Institute
May 1, 1967 - New York City - Visit to New York
May 6, 1967 - Washington D.C. - Performs at the National Karate Championships in Washington, D.C.
May 10, 1967 - Oakland, California - Visit to his friend James Yimm Lee
May 26, 1967 - Oakland - Bruce returns to Oakland to oversee the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute and pass on new techniques to students under James Lee
June 15, 1967 - Inglewood, California - Letter to Linda Emery
June 24, 1967 - New York City - Appears at All-American Open Karate Championship, Madison Square Garden
June 27, 1967 - Oakland - Returns to California
July 1(?), 1967 - Los Angeles - Names his way of Martial Art “Jeet Kune Do”
July 3, 1967 - Springfield, Massachusetts - In Agawam, in the Springfield, Massachusetts, metropolitan area, Bruce performs three demonstrations in one day
July 5, 1967 - Inglewood, California - Returns to California, where he undergoes an interview at Universal Studios to act as a guest artist in an episode of the series “Ironside”, entitled “Marked for Murder”
July 14, 1967 - Los Angeles - Hired to appear in episode of "Ironside" TV series, shot in Los Angeles
July 30, 1967 - Long Beach, California - Performs at the Long Beach International Karate Tournament
November 3, 1967 - Fremont, California - Bruce goes to Fremont, California, and demonstrates his techniques at the gym of veteran boxing and Ju-jitsu master, Wally Jae, academy
January 28, 1968 - Oakland - Bruce Lee returns to Oakland for a surprise birthday party for James Yim Lee
February 16, 1968 - Frisco, California - Attends a national exhibition of Kung Fu in Frisco, California
June 23, 1968 - Washington D.C. - Attends the National Karate Championships in Washington D.C.
July 5, 1968 - Los Angeles - Bruce Lee is hired as technical director (for action scenes) in the film "The Wrecking Crew" (the film debut of Chuck Norris)
August 1, 1968 - Los Angeles - Bruce Lee is hired to play a killer wrestler of Chinese origin in the movie "Marlowe" (Little Sister), starring actor (and his disciple) James Garner
October 1, 1968 - Los Angeles - Moves to Bel Air, Los Angeles
November 12, 1968 - Los Angeles - Films episode of "Blondie", a Universal TV Series
January 4, 1969 - Los Angeles - Letter to William Cheung
April 16, 1969 - Los Angeles - Stirling Silliphant, screenwriter and friend of Bruce, lands him a job as stunt choreographer for a fight sequence in the film "A Walk In The Spring Rain" with Anthony Quinn and Ingrid Bergman, scripted by Stirling Silliphant
April 19, 1969 - Santa Monica, California - Daughter Shannon Emery Lee is born
April 24, 1969 - Tennessee - Bruce returns from Tennessee after finishing his work on the movie “A Walk In The Spring Rain”. The film was released in 1970
February 5, 1970 - Dominican Republic – Bruce Lee travels with Jhoon Rhee to the Dominican Republic (until February 9th) to help the Korean master promote his academy network in that country. Bruce performs demonstrations in Santiago de los Caballeros, La Vega and Santo Domingo and participates in the TV program “Encuentro”
February 20, 1970 - Gstaad, Switzerland - Bruce Lee travels to Gstaad, na Suíça, to give private classes to movie director, Roman Polanski
March 3, 1970 - London, England - From his turn to Switzerland, Bruce made his way to London, staying at Polanski's house. Meets his friend Wu Ngan there
March 29, 1970 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Bruce goes to Hong Kong with Brandon to visit his family. Upon arrival, they are surprised by a crowd waiting to greet them. The series "The Green Hornet", despite having been a failure in the US and having failed to unseat rival "Batman & Robin", was a tremendous success in Hong Kong and throughout Asia, being known by fans like “The Kato Series”
April 7, 1970 - Kowloon - Beginning of a series of performances for the Hong Kong TV-B show “Enjoy Yourself Tonight”
August 13, 1970 - Kowloon - Bruce performs a barbell exercise called “Good Morning”, weighing about 55 kg on his back. Bruce somehow was not properly warmed up for the procedure and suffers an irreversible injury to the 4th sacral nerve. He had to remain for six months without physical activity confined to bed and then in a wheelchair, only undergoing physical therapy. Not letting himself down, he takes advantage of the "rest" time to review and redo his notes on his fighting system, which later (after his death) would be compiled and published for a book under the coordination of Linda Lee and Dan Inosanto, entitled "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do". During this period, he also turned to the script of a film that would at first be called “The Silent Flute”
September(?) 1(?), 1970 - Kowloon - During his recovery, Bruce works with actor James Coburn and screenwriter Stirling Silliphant on screenplay about the philosophy of martial art. The movie is to be entitled "The Silent Flute"
January 29, 1971 - Kowloon(?) - The script for “The Silent Flute” is sent to Warner Brothers, which gives the green light to carry out the project, but with the condition that everything is filmed in India since Warner Brothers had rupee blocked by the Indian government regarding the collection of the his films in the country that were not transferred to the US. So Bruce Lee, James Coburn and Stirling Silliphant are forced to fly to India to study the situation
February 1, 1971 - New Delhi, India - Lee, Coburn and Silliphant arrive in New Delhi, India, and spend 10 days looking for locations and skilled martial artists to work on the film
June 27, 1971 - Los Angeles - Films the first episode of “Longstreet” TV series for Paramount
June 28, 1971 - Los Angeles - Bruce, who had been contacted by the wife of Hong Kong director Lo Wei through producer Raymond Chow, offers him a contract he can't refuse to direct two films for Golden Harvest
July 10, 1971 - Pak Chong, Thailand - Bruce finishes recording another episode of “Longstreet”. He immediately travels to Hong Kong and as soon as he arrives at Kai Tak Airport, he takes a flight to Pak Chong, Thailand, to start filming his first film, “The Big Boss” (originally, Fists of Fury)
July 12, 1971 - Pak Chong - Under very harsh conditions, the filming of "The Big Boss" begins, with an initial budget of HK$ 100,000.00 in Thailand. During filming, the director, Wu Chai Wsaing, is rejected by the crew for his bad character and in his place is summoned Lo Wei, who doesn't show much better than his predecessor, and disagreements between him and Bruce Lee soon start
September 3, 1971 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - Bruce returns from Thailand with part of the film crew to Hong Kong and is expected to attend an impromptu press conference at Kai Tak Airport for Hong Kong's TVB News, along with director Lo Wei and actresses Maria Yi and Nora Miao. In the evening, Bruce appeared on the HKTVB show “Enjoy Yourself Tonight”.
September 6, 1971 - Los Angeles - Bruce Lee returns to the United States after being invited to participate in three more episodes of the TV series "Longstreet"
September 30(?), 1971 - Kowloon - Bruce Lee returns to Hong Kong for the long-awaited premiere of "The Big Boss"
October 17, 1971 - Kowloon - With the success of “The Big Boss”, the planning for filming for the next film “Fists of Fury” begins in Hong Kong, which would still have some locations in the then Portuguese colony of Macau. The initial budget was expected to be HK 200,000 and would feature a more elaborate production and the first appearance of a Western foreigner (Bob Baker, Lee's student at the Seattle Institute), as protagonist in a Chinese martial arts movie
October 22, 1971 - Kowloon - Bruce Lee appears on the HKTVB show “Enjoy Yourself Tonight” alongside Bob Baker and some assistants for a demo of Jeet Kune Do
October 31, 1971 - Kowloon - Premiere of “The Big Boss”. The film breaks all revenue records on its first day of screening, immediately earning more than three times the amount spent on its production (HK$372,000.00), totaling at the end of its release the incredible revenue of HK$3,197,417 .00 throughout Asia. In the USA Canada it reached the figures of US$ 2,800,000.00
November 19, 1971 - Kowloon - Bruce Lee appears on the HKTVB special program dedicated to the success of the movie "The Big Boss"
December 7, 1971 - Kowloon - In Hong Kong, receives official word he would not star in “The Warrior”. The role is given to American caucasian actor David Carradine
March 22, 1972 - Kowloon - “Fists of Fury” premieres in Hong Kong. The film earns HK$ 4,431,423.00 and in the US it reaches US$ 3,400,000.00. Bruce Lee's first two films together gross about $20 million across Asia. Bruce Lee automatically competes and wins the Golden Horse Award (Asian Oscar) for his performance in “Fists of Fury”
May 4, 1972 - Rome, Italy - Bruce Lee flies to Rome, Italy, to find suitable locations for filming “The Way of the Dragon” along with Raymond Chow and Japanese camera man Tadashi Nishimoto
May 19, 1972 - Kowloon - After filming in Rome, Bruce returns to Hong Kong with Chuck Norris and Bob Wall. The day after his arrival, Bruce is greeted by presenter Josiah Lau Kar-Kit on the HKTVB’S “Enjoy Yourself Tonight” (EYT) Show with Norris and Wall to promote “The Way of the Dragon”
June 18, 1972 - Kowloon - A typhoon ravages Hong Kong, causing a lot of damage and casualties
June 24, 1972 - Kowloon - Bruce Lee, Linda and Brandon participate in a show on HKTVB's EYT program (to raise funds for typhoon victims) titled “Operation Relief Charity Show”
September 1(?), 1972 - Kowloon - Taking advantage of the visit of some of his students to Hong Kong, Bruce starts filming fight scenes for “The Game of Death”. At Hong Kong's traditional restaurant, Red Pepper, Bruce simulates the atmosphere of a pagoda, filming three fight sequences with Dan Inosanto (responsible for the Los Angeles Lee Jung Fan Gung Fu Institute); Korean Hapkido Master Ji Han Jae; and one of his students, the 2,18m-tall Los Angeles Lakers basketball player, Kareen Abdul Jabbar
Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon"
October 1(?), 1972 - Kowloon -
Hollywood finally gives in to Bruce Lee's talent and offers him a contract he can't refuse to film “Enter the Dragon”. Bruce is forced to interrupt the project of "The Game of Death"
November 20, 1972 - Kowloon - Bruce appears on HKTVB's EYT show to participate in the network's fifth anniversary celebration. To the surprise of the audience and guests, Bruce Lee emerges from a giant birthday cake onto the stage
December 30, 1972 - Kowloon - Hong Kong premiere of “The Way of the Dragon”. The production, which had a budget of 130,000 Hong Kong dollars, grosses over 5 million dollars (HK$5,300,000) and again beats all the records achieved by the two previous films. Bruce participated in the production, played the roles of director, screenwriter, choreographer of fight scenes and was the main protagonist
January 1(?), 1973 - Kowloon - “Enter the Dragon” starts shooting with an estimated budget of US$ 850,000.00 in cooperation between Concord Productions and Warner Bros., it was the first production between the US and Hong Kong film industries
February 20, 1973 - Kowloon - Bruce Lee is St.Francis Xavier School's guest of honor for the Sports Day ceremonies
May 10, 1973 - Kowloon - During one of the dubbing sessions for “Enter the Dragon” at Golden Harvest Studios, it was extremely hot, as the air conditioning was turned off so as not to interfere with the recordings. Bruce, feeling uncomfortable, asks for a break to go to the bathroom to wash his face. There he collapses and loses consciousness. When they notice his delay in returning, they look for him and find him unconscious on the floor. It took nearly twenty minutes before he is revived. Back to consciousness, Lee, still on the bathroom floor, begins searching for the glasses he was wearing in a clumsy attempt to justify the incident. While trying to return to the dubbing room supported by assistants, Lee suffers another collapse and is immediately taken unconscious to the Kowloon's Baptist Hospital, where he is treated by Dr. Langford and neurologist Dr. Wu, who examine him thoroughly. Apparently having had a seizure or had an epileptic attack, he was prescribed a drug compatible with the given diagnosis, Dillatin, used to eliminate accumulation of water in cells, returning water to the blood. That drug would have been Bruce's salvation at the time, according to Dr. Don Langford
May 25, 1973 - Los Angeles - After completing the final details of the film, Bruce flies to Los Angeles for further examinations at the renowned medical center at the University of California, Los Angeles. A series of preventive medical tests are performed and all are positive. According to Dr. Karpland and neurologist Dr. Reisboard, Bruce had the health of an 18-year-old, despite the sudden loss of 5 kg of weight (Bruce weighed 57 kg), and they attribute the collapses to a severe crisis of stress
The way of the Dragon - Famous fight scene
with Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in Rome
July 10, 1973 - Kowloon, Hong Kong - At Golden Harvest, Bruce Lee catches Lo Wei talking bad about him in a room, Bruce confronts him, and they both have a serious argument. Lo Wei withdraws and calls the police, accusing Bruce Lee of threatening him with a knife. In local search by police, the knife was not located. Lo Wei demands that Bruce Lee sign a declaration that will no longer threaten him. Bruce gives in to the request to get rid of the incident and signs a statement. The incident quickly reaches the Hong Kong press. On the same night, Bruce is the special guest on the TV show “Enjoy Yourself Tonight” hosted by Ho Sho Shin and ends up mentioning his differences with a director without mentioning the name of Lo Wei
July 20, 1973 - Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong - Bruce goes to actress friend Betty Ting-Pei's apartment and complains of a severe headache. He takes an Equagesic pill given by Betty and goes to bed in her room to recover so that they go out to meet George Lazenby and Raymond Chow. However, Bruce Lee dies of an allergic reaction to the Equagesic, aged 32 =(END)