Chuck Norris, the U.S. Air Force veteran, actor, martial arts master, and living legend, celebrated his 80th birthday on March 10, 2020. The name Chuck Norris has garnered much clout over the years because of his legendary fighting skills, and has become synonymous with “toughness,” which has inspired entire books dedicated to “Chuck Norrisims” explaining how tough he is and thousands of internet memes over the years.
Carlos Ray Norris was born in 1940 in Ryan, Oklahoma. While not particularly athletic as a kid, he joined the Air Force at age 18. It was there where he got his nickname, Chuck, and began studying martial arts while stationed in South Korea. In 1967, five years after leaving the force, he went on to win his first international karate championship.
