1979 in France

"See also:"
1978 in France,
other events of 1979,
1980 in France.

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Events from the year 1979 in France.

Events

*8 January - French tanker " Betelgeuse" explodes at the Gulf Oil terminal at Bantry in Ireland; 50 are killed.
*18 March - Cantonales elections held.
*25 March - Cantonales elections held.
*6 April-8 April - Metz Congress of the French Socialist Party.
*9 July - A car bomb destroys a Renault owned by "Nazi hunters" Serge and Beate Klarsfeld at their home in France. A note purportedly from ODESSA claims responsibility.
*20 September - French paratroopers help David Dacko to overthrow Bokassa in the Central African Republic.
*16 October - A tsunami in Nice kills 23 people.
*2 November - French police shoot dead gangster Jacques Mesrine in Paris.

Arts and Literature

port

*27 June - Tour de France begins.
*22 July - Tour de France ends, won by Bernard Hinault.
*6 December-9 December - World Judo Championships held in Paris.

Births

January to March

*7 January - Christophe Guenot, wrestler and Olympic medallist.
*12 January - Laurent Gagnier, soccer player.
*13 January - Julien Baudet, soccer player.
*17 January - Grégory Carmona, soccer player.
*20 January - Jérôme Thomas, boxer.
*21 January - Élodie Navarre, actress.
*22 January - Stéphane Noro, soccer player.
*1 February - Anne-Sophie Mondière, judoka.
*2 February - Virginie Lagoutte, golfer.
*7 February - Nicolas Dieuze, soccer player.
*8 February - Lionel Cappone, soccer player.
*14 February - Cédric Fauré, soccer player.
*16 February - Stéphane Dalmat, soccer player.
*28 February - Sébastien Bourdais, motor racing driver.
*2 March - Damien Gregorini, soccer player.
*6 March - Arnaud Maire, soccer player.
*10 March - Laurent Quievreux, soccer player.
*14 March - Nicolas Anelka, international soccer player.
*14 March - Emmanuel Duchemin, soccer player.
*15 March - Anthony Deroin, soccer player.
*20 March - Christophe Lemaire, jockey.
*20 March - Sébastien Mazure, soccer player.
*20 March - Patrice Quarteron, kickboxer and martial artist.
*21 March - Cyril Chapuis, soccer player.
*22 March - Benoît Lecouls, rugby union player.
*24 March - Philippe Gardent, rugby league player.
*25 March - Pierre Planus, soccer player.
*31 March - Matthieu Bochu, soccer player.

April to June

*2 April - Salim Kéchiouche, actor.
*2 April - Frédéric Lecanu, judoka.
*4 April - Ludovic Roux, Nordic combined skier.
*9 April - Olivier Sorlin, soccer player.
*14 April - Guillaume Beuzelin, soccer player.
*14 April - Noé Pamarot, soccer player.
*21 April - Édouard Fillias, classical-liberal activist.
*23 April - François Gonon, orienteering competitor.
*23 April - Nicolas Portal, cyclist.
*4 May - Marie Poissonnier, pole vaulter.
*9 May - Éric Cubilier, soccer player.
*14 May - Mickaël Landreau, soccer player.
*19 May - Nicolas Figère, hammer thrower.
*21 May - Gaspard Augé, musician.
*4 June - Anthony Charteau, cyclist.
*5 June - François Sagat, model and pornographic actor.
*9 June - Émilie Loit, tennis player.
*12 June - Damien Traille, rugby union player.
*16 June - Emmanuel Moire, singer.
*25 June - Sébastien Joly, cyclist.
*26 June - Christophe Humbert, judoka.
*27 June - Benoît Poher, singer.
*30 June - Sylvain Chavanel, cyclist.

July to September

*1 July - Sylvain Calzati, cyclist.
*3 July - Ludivine Sagnier, actress.
*4 July - Anthony Basso, soccer player.
*5 July - Amélie Mauresmo, tennis player.
*6 July - Fabrice Abriel, soccer player.
*6 July - Cédric Kanté, soccer player.
*11 July - Éric Abidal, soccer player.
*16 July - Rudy Bourguignon, decathlete.
*18 July - Mélina Robert-Michon, discus thrower.
*19 July - Yves Desmarets, soccer player.
*24 July - Anne-Gaëlle Sidot, tennis player.
*27 July - Sidney Govou, international soccer player.
*27 July - Julien Poueys, soccer player.
*8 August - Benjamin Boyet, rugby union player.
*10 August - Rémy Martin, rugby union player.
*11 August - Nicolas Seube, soccer player.
*14 August - Jérémie Bréchet, soccer player.
*14 August - Séverine Brémond, tennis player.
*14 August - Renaud Guigue, rugby league player.
*17 August - Julien Escudé, soccer player.
*9 September - Freddy Bichot, cyclist.
*10 September - Sébastien Grimaldi, soccer player.
*19 September - Noémie Lenoir, model and actress.
*24 September - Yvan Bourgis, soccer player.
*25 September - Jean-René Lisnard, tennis player.
*26 September - Jean-Baptiste Poux, rugby union player.

October to December

*14 October - Olivier Bernard, soccer player.
*14 October - Auriol Guillaume, soccer player.
*18 October - Fabrice Levrat, soccer player.
*27 October - Jean-Luc Delpech, cyclist.
*1 November - Christophe Edaleine, cyclist.
*8 November - Corinne Maîtrejean, foil fencer.
*10 November - Anthony Réveillère, soccer player.
*14 November - Cédric Hervé, cyclist.
*15 November - François Masson, soccer player.
*19 November - Boumedienne Allam, rugby union player.
*24 December - Hervé Duclos-Lassalle, cyclist.
*25 December - Laurent Bonnart, soccer player.

Full date unknown

*Eric Borel, spree killer (d.1995).
*Eric Bourdon, painter and writer.
*Christophe Dumaux, classical countertenor.
*Elise Fouin, designer.

Deaths

January to March

*16 January - André Couder, optician and astronomer (b.1897).
*18 January - Maurice Challe, General (b.1905).
*26 January - Paul Amiot, actor (b.1886).
*12 February - Jean Renoir, film director (b.1894).
*9 March - Jean-Marie Villot, Cardinal (b.1905).
*16 March - Jean Monnet, architect of European Unity (b.1888).
*19 March - Pierre Schneiter, politician (b.1905).

April to June

*1 April - Bruno Coquatrix, songwriter and music impresario (b.1910).
*4 April - Joseph Alcazar, international soccer player (b.1911).
*7 April - Marcel Jouhandeau, writer (b.1888).
*12 May - Pierre Brunet, rower and Olympic medallist (b.1908).
*28 June - Philippe Cousteau, oceanographer (b.1940).

July to September

*3 July - Louis Durey, composer (b.1888).
*5 July - Émile Dewoitine, aviation engineer and industrialist (b.1892).
*15 July - Georges Jean Marie Darrieus, aeronautical engineer (b.1888).
*27 August - Paul Coste-Floret, politician (b.1911).
*2 September - Jacques Février, pianist (b.1900).
*10 September - Charles Fauvel, aircraft designer (b.1904).
*20 September - Pierre Goldman, left-wing intellectual, convicted of several robberies and assassinated (b.1944).
*27 September - Pascal Pia, writer, journalist, illustrator and scholar (b.1903).

October to December

*3 October - André Godinat, cyclist (b.1903).
*10 October - Paul Paray, conductor, organist and composer (b.1886).
*17 October - Pierre Bernac, baritone (b.1899).
*22 October - Nadia Boulanger, composer and conductor (b.1887).
*27 October - Germaine Lubin, soprano (b.1890).
*29 October - Robert Boulin, politician (b.1920).
*2 November - Jacques Mesrine, gangster (b.1936).
*7 November - Christine Renard, writer (b.1929).
*8 November - Yvonne de Gaulle, wife of Charles de Gaulle (b.1900).
*26 November - Marcel L'Herbier, writer, producer and director of films (b. c1890).
*4 December - Maurice Dorléac, actor (b.1901).

Full date unknown

*Jean Charlot, painter and illustrator (b.1898).
*Maryse Choisy, philosophical writer (b.1903).
*Lise Deharme, writer (b.1898).
*François Fontan, politician (b.1929).
*Émile Gagnan, engineer and inventor (b.1900).
*Albert Gilles, copper craftsman (b.1895).
*Gaston Heuet, athlete and Olympic medallist (b.1892).

References