“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” – Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee Biography

Lee Jun-fan (Bruce Lee was his professional name) was born on 27 November 1940 in the Chinatown district of San Francisco, USA. He was the fourth of five children born to father Lee Hoi-chuen who was a leading actor in Cantonese opera and his mother wealthy mother Grace Ho. His siblings were two sisters called Phoebe and Agnes and two brothers called Peter and Robert. Although born in San Francisco, Bruce didn’t grow up there as when he was only three months old, his parents returned to Hong Kong.

Due to Bruce’s mother’s family connections, he grew up in a privileged and affluent environment but this did not prevent his neighbourhood from becoming overcrowded and dangerous, mainly due to the influx of refugees who were fleeing Communist China. The area was full of gangs and rivalries frequently led to outbreaks of violence. After Bruce had been involved in a number of fights, his parents decided that he needed to be taught martial arts and his first lessons in the Wu-style t’ai chi ch’uan were given to him by his father.

As a teenager Bruce had started to learn Wing Chun and in 1957, he began to study under the Wing Chun teacher Yip Man. In order to try and steer his students away from street fighting, Yip Man encouraged them to enter competitions. However, this did not prevent Bruce from getting into fights. He gave a severe beating to the son of a feared triad leader and when, in the Spring of 1959 the police were called after another of Bruce’s fights, his father decided that, for his own safety, Bruce should leave Hong Kong and return to the United States. So, in April 1959, Bruce left Hong Kong and went to live with his sister Agnes who was living with friends of the family in San Francisco.

Later that year, Bruce, who was now 18 years old, moved to Seattle and started working as a waiter for Ruby Chow in one of her restaurants. Ruby Chow’s husband, was a friends of Bruce’s father, and whilst there, Bruce went on to complete his high school education at Edison Technical School from where he received his diploma. During this time, Bruce also began teaching marital arts which was literally known as Bruce Lee’s Kung Fu and was his variation of Wing Chun from the Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, his first martial arts studio in Seattle.

Bruce enrolled at the University of Washington in 1961 and majored in drama, but also studied philosophy and psychology. A fellow student of Bruce’s called Linda Emery was studying to become a teacher and the pair met, fell in love, and were married in August 1964. During their time together, Bruce and Linda had two children. Brandon Lee was born in 1965 and Shannon Lee came along in 1969.

Bruce dropped out of college in 1964 and moved to Oakland where he opened his second Jun Fan martial arts studio along with James Yimm Lee who was well known on the martial arts circuit and was twenty years Bruce’s senior. James introduced Bruce to Ed Parker during this time who was the organiser of the Long Beach International Karate Championships and where Bruce would be ‘discovered’ by Hollywood.

Bruce Lee appeared at the championships in 1964 and demonstrated his two finger push-ups and the one inch punch. One of the volunteers upon which Bruce demonstrated the punch was Bob Baker from Stockton, California, who later said in an interview that he had to stay home from work following the demonstration due to the pain his chest which he described as ‘unbearable’.

It was during the 1964 championships that Bruce met Jhoon Goo Rhee, a Taekwondo master, and the pair became friends and taught each other different techniques.

After a controversial private fight between Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man in Oakland in 1964 which allegedly arose as a challenge to try and stop Bruce from teaching non-Chinese people in his studio,

In the seventh episode of the fourth season of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a brief look at the tragically short life of the martial arts movie legend that was - Bruce Lee.

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Julius Caesar Biography

Julius Caesar is sometimes regarded as more myth than man due to his famous, or perhaps rather notorious, place in history as the harbinger of the end of the Roman Republic and the first emperor in the Roman Empire. A brilliant tactician, politically savvy, and intellectually enlightened writer of Latin prose, Julius Caesar was the embodiment of all that was right – and wrong – in the Roman Republic.

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Julius Caesar’s family was of little note during the first century. They were minor nobility at best, although the Caesar lineage claims that it harkens back all the way to a Trojan prince who was the son of the Goddess Venus. However, for his family, those high glory days seemed to be long gone. They were not bad off but they were certainly not a family great leadership was expected to hail from.

Julius Caesar himself was born in 100 BC, the son of Gaius Julius Caesar, and little is known of his early days and childhood apart from the death of his father while he was still young. With the death of his father, Julius became the head of the family at the age of 16. During the same period, the family was involved with some political rivalry which had arisen between Julius Caesar’s uncle and another politician, Lucius Sulla. Unfortunately, this rivalry led to a Roman civil war and Caesar’s family found themselves on the losing side, a situation which was effectively the beginning of the end for the Roman Republic. Stripped of title, nobility, and political influence, Julius Caesar went into hiding for his own safety after the end of the civil war.

Due to the intervention of his mother who still wielded some influence with Sulla, Caesar was allowed to return but still concerned for his personal safety, decided to join the army instead. Julius Caesar’s time in the army was met with distinction and he received a number of commendations. After the death of his rival Sulla, Julius felt it was time to return to Rome. He became a popular advocate for the common man fighting against corrupt politicians in Rome and for the next several years, Caesar’s fortunes rose. Between favourable political appointments in Spain, successful military campaigns, and the beginning of a successful political career, Julius Caesar’s star was on the rise.

As his political star rose, so, too, did his ability to gain greater command of the military. With four legions under his command and several provinces bordering his that were unclaimed territory, the time was ripe for Caesar’s famous conquest of Gaul. After years of successful conquests, Gaul was to be one of Caesar’s greatest challenges. The Germanic tribes that resided in the area were more than a match for the Roman military of the era; however, internal squabbles and tribal divisions kept them from uniting into a force strong enough to resist the Roman advance. Gaul, with only a few minor setbacks, was taken for Rome and would remain Roman for the next five hundred years. Caesar attempted to follow up these conquests with an advance into Britain, but due to famine and logistical reasons, Britain was never to be fully conquered by Julius Caesar.

Caesar’s success as a military general as well as his position as a politician began to put him at odds with the leader of the Republic, Pompey. The issue was that his military command was far too strong, and Caesar far too capable, thus he represented a danger to the republic. In an attempt to quell this potential danger, Pompey actually succeeded in causing it. Pompey ordered Caesar to disband his military and come to Rome. Caesar, rightly, fearing that he would be prosecuted or imprisoned by his political rivals were he to enter Rome without an army, refused. Caesar was branded a traitor and insubordinate. In response to this,

In the sixth episode of the fourth season of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a look at the life of the man who brought about the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire, its first Emperor - Julius Caesar.

Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/  - Thanks!

“No man is good enough to govern any woman without her consent.” – Susan B. Anthony

Susan B. Anthony Biography

When people think of the rights of women, of the protection of those rights, and of those who fought most vigorously to secure them, few names come to mind swifter, in the United States at least, than that of the passionate women’s suffrage leader Susan B Anthony. Susan B Anthony holds a special place of honour in the history of equality for her unflinching devotion to the cause, her unwavering leadership, and her determination to see women receive the vote. So who was she and what led her down the path of this righteous crusade?

Susan Brownell Anthony was born on 15 February 1820 to a family of reformers. Some of her brothers would later fight against pro-slavery forces in Kansas in order to ensure that when Kansas joined the Union on 29 January 1861, it would do so as a free state. Although they were Quakers by religion, they did not hold with many traditional Quaker ideals. Their family was considered too liberal at the time and a rift grew between them and the rest of the congregation after Susan’s father Daniel Anthony allowed a dance to occur at his home.

In 1837, economic panic struck the country and the Anthonys lost most of their material wealth. Although an uncle bought their belongings at auction and returned them to the family, they were still desperately short of money and so Susan decided to go to work as a teacher at a Quaker school. The Anthonys continued to be at the fringes of society due to their passionate reforming nature and their farm became a place where other like-minded individuals who sought reformation came, including the great Frederick Douglass who was a well-known abolitionist in Rochester, New York.

As Susan B Anthony grew older, she taught herself a range of social reform concepts and worked tirelessly to improve both her knowledge of the subject and her eloquence when it came to delivering her message. For a brief time, she was even a strong proponent of wearing the highly controversial blooming dress, which did not go all the way down to the ankles. Although the dress was far more comfortable and easier for women to wear, she was eventually forced to stop wearing the improved garment so that opponents would be compelled to address her ideas instead of merely criticizing her clothing.

In 1851 at Seneca Falls, Susan B Anthony met another strong and motivated woman called Elizabeth Cady Stanton who had previously written the Declaration of Sentiments which being based upon the United States Declaration of Independence made the proclamation that men and women were created equal and that women should be allowed to vote. The meeting between the pair was fortuitous as Elizabeth and Susan had mutually beneficial skills with Elizabeth being an outstanding writer and Susan being a highly effective organizer and strategist. The pair worked well together and their friendship grew as they continued to work hard in the women’s suffrage movement.

The rights of women in the early and mid-19th century were few and limited. Women did not traditionally work in roles outside of the household and so had little say in society. Added to this, any woman who was successful and generated an income would be compelled by force of law to hand any money over to her spouse. This meant that even a financially capable and successful woman, if she were married, would not have any say in her own financial solvency. Additionally, women were not generally allowed to own any property, and as they could not vote, they could do nothing to alter the situation either.

Between the lack of economic options and the lack of voting power, the rights of women were severely curtailed. However, the women’s reform movement did not grow up in a vacuum and many of the movers and shakers of the women’s rights movement first got their feet...

In the fifth episode of the fourth season of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a look at the life of the American social reformer and women's rights activist, Susan B. Anthony.

Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/  - Thanks!

In the fourth episode of the fourth season of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a brief look at the life of a President of the United States who became known as The Great Emancipator - Abraham Lincoln.

Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/  - Thanks!

“No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.” – Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was a fairly simple man, and with the hindsight of history, some have judged him unfairly, attempting to hold a 19th-century man to 21st century standards. However, when viewed as a man of his times, what he said and did was revolutionary, and unlike other historical figures, Abraham Lincoln’s story is one that has continued to shine for generations. A man who was born into poverty in a one-room log cabin deep in the Kentucky wilderness rose to become one of the most influential presidents in American history.

Abraham Lincoln was born to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln in that small Kentucky log cabin on 12 February 1809. Frontier life was bitter and back-breaking work. Many did not survive, including Nancy Lincoln who died in 1818 at the relatively young age of only 34. Abraham was not best suited to this sort of life, with his lean, gangly frame, and a strong dislike of physical work, preferring to read and write poetry instead. This attitude led many of those in his life at the time to believed that Lincoln was simply lazy and that he would never amount to much. Abraham Lincoln, though, had other ideas. Far removed from civilization, Lincoln’s formal schooling was likely less than a year in total, so he became a voracious reader, devouring such classics as Pilgrim’s Progress and Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography. He also spent many hours studying the Bible. The Lincoln family did not stay in Kentucky, and in 1830 moved to Illinois where in December 1839 Abraham would meet Mary Todd, a well-educated young woman from a large, wealthy slave-holding Kentucky family. They married on 4 November 1842 and the couple went on to have four sons together.

Throughout the first half of the 1800s, the United States was embroiled in a severe political and moral struggle over the issue of slavery. A generation before, the founding fathers had failed to address the issue of slavery as they felt at the time that national unity was far more important, and so they left provisions for addressing the issue of slavery for future politicians to grapple with. Unfortunately, instead, the rural agrarian culture of the South became more reliant on slavery and this led not only to the issue not being resolved, but it became a more entrenched way of life and its continuance was fought for by Southern Democrats both in the House and in the Senate. As new states were being admitted to the Union, the most contentious issue of all was always whether a state would be a free state like Illinois where slavery was illegal or a slave-holding state like Kentucky.

Throughout the 1840s and 1850s, Abraham Lincoln would have a variety of jobs in order to try and bring in some sort of income. At various points, he was a shop owner, the head of a local militia, a fairly successful lawyer, and an unsuccessful politician coming in nearly dead last when he ran for the Illinois General Assembly. However, his fortunes began to change as people noted his quick wit, his towering physical presence, and his homely way of speaking. His recognition grew immensely when he faced off against the well-known debater and orator Stephen Douglas in what became known as the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Lincoln, who had been a nobody, was widely considered to have trounced a supposedly superior debater with his intelligence and wit.

Abraham Lincoln’s growing popularity caused a new political party to back him as their candidate for the presidency with its biggest platform item being the absolute end of slavery. The Republican anti-slavery party quickly gained huge momentum in the North where most of the abolitionists were located. The campaigning was fierce and throughout the country turmoil and unrest were starting to spread due to this ever growing moral cri...

In the third episode of the fourth season of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a brief look at the often turbulent life of musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone.

Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/  - Thanks!

“Slavery has never been abolished from America’s way of thinking.” – Nina Simone

Nina Simone Biography

Nina Simone was a complicated woman.  Extraordinarily talented musically, she played a wide variety of styles, and although well-known and critically acclaimed, she only had one song reach the top 20 chart in the United States throughout her whole career. However, it was the combination of her powerful, passionate music along with her strong views and activist nature which made Nina Simone an exceptional artist and campaigner for civil rights.

Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on 21 February 1933, Nina Simone was raised in the town of Tryon, North Carolina, and of the eight children born to her parents, she was the sixth. Although her family was incredibly poor, aged only three, Nina’s musical talents started to shine especially when it came to playing the piano. This talent was soon noticed and it wasn’t long before she was playing piano at her church and aged only 12 she was given the honour of playing a recital. It was not the music she played at this recital that would influence her future, but rather an event that occurred there that brought home to her what it was really like to be an African American in 1940’s USA. During the recital, Nina’s parents, who had sat in the front row to watch Nina play, were compelled to give up their seats to a white couple. However, Nina would have none of it and refused to perform until her parents were once again seated in the front row. From that point forward, Nina decided that she would dedicate her life and career to civil rights.

With the help of her parents, who although being very poor did what they could, and of various donations and funds that came her way thanks to the help of her music teacher, Nina Simone was able to attend Allen High School for Girls, which was located in Asheville, North Carolina. After graduating from high school in 1950 Nina sent in an application to the Curtis Institute of Music hoping for an audition. Her family had already moved to Philadelphia in anticipation of her acceptance into the program but her application was unceremoniously and without reason denied. Although the school denied it, Nina strongly believed that it was her skin colour that kept her from being accepted into the music program.

Nina did not take the news of her rejection lying down and decided to continue growing her skills at the piano through taking private lessons with one of the professors from the Curtis Institute. Getting private lessons from a prestigious teacher was expensive, so Nina took on singing jobs at local clubs and bars to pay for them. In 1954, she took on the name that she would be known by for the rest of her life – Nina Simone. The use of a stage name was important for her as her parents, who were devout Methodists, would not be supportive of the types of song their daughter would be singing as they would be considered immoral by the church. The stage name Nina Simone was intended to allow her to work on the music that was important to her without any interference from her family. The name Nina Simone was created from two separate ideas. Nina, Spanish for ‘little girl’, was a nickname her boyfriend had given her, while Simone was the name of a French actress Nina was fond of.

Throughout the 50s her time playing in different bars and clubs began to pay off as she developed a small but strong fan base.

In 1958, Nina met and married Don Ross, but she instantly regretted the decision. It was during this time that she also wrote what would become her only top 20 song in the United States, “I Loves You, Porgy.” Between this and her album “Little Girl Blue”, Nina Simone began to attract attention, although she would not benefit financially from the released versions of this early music as she had sold the rights outright for only $3000. It has been estimated that Nina lost more than a mil...