Chuck Norris Was the Avatar of Manly Hyperbole

Chuck Norris could have been a meme from the moment, in 1972, that he stepped into the Roman Colosseum to face down Bruce Lee. It would take more than 30 years before Norris would become the internet’s favorite avatar of manly hyperbole, the subject of silly aphorisms—such as “Chuck Norris sleeps with the lights on because the dark is afraid of him”—that spoke to his tough persona. He was larger than life from the start but had to turn bite-size to become truly famous.

The future VHS king...