1978 in France
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| See also: | Other events of 1978 History of France • Timeline • Years | ||||
Events from the year 1978 in France.
Incumbents
Events
- February - Launch of the Horizon front-wheel drive hatchback by Chrysler Europe, which will be built in France as a Simca and sold in Britain as a Talbot.[1]
- 1 February - Hollywood film director Roman Polanski skips bail and flees to France, after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl.
- 12 March - Legislative Election held.
- 19 March - Legislative Election held.
- April - Launch of the Renault 18 saloon and estates, replacement for the Renault 12.[2]
- 4 May - Communist activist Henri Curiel is murdered in Paris.
- 10 May - Two years after buying Citroën, carmaker Peugeot makes another takeover by purchasing the European operations of American car giant Chrysler, owners of the French Simca and British Chrysler brands.[3]
- 16 May - Amoco Cadiz ran aground off the coast of Brittany, split in two and spilled 68.7 million US gallons (260,000 m3) of oil.
- 18 May–19 May - Belgian and French paratroopers fly to Zaire to aid the fight against the rebels.
- 26 June - Bombing by Breton nationalists causes destruction in Palace of Versailles.
- December - The Simca Horizon is voted European Car of the Year.[4]
Arts and literature
- 22 April - Eurovision Song Contest held in Paris and won by Israel.
Sport
- 29 June - Tour de France begins.
- 23 July - Tour de France ends, won by Bernard Hinault.
- 10 December - The 1978 Kangaroo tour concludes with the France national rugby league team defeating Australia in Toulouse.
Births
January to March
- 5 January - Franck Montagny, motor racing driver.
- 6 January - Renaud Dion, cyclist.
- 11 January - Stéphane Morisot, soccer player.
- 14 January - Éric Sitruk, soccer player.
- 17 January - Stéphane Pasquier, jockey.
- 21 January - David Coulibaly, soccer player.
- 30 January - Sébastien Sansoni, soccer player.
- 7 February - Nicolas Ardouin, soccer player.
- 8 February - Loïc Jean-Albert, parachuter.
- 11 February - Aurélien Cologni, rugby league player.
- 16 February - Nicolas Florentin, soccer player.
- 26 February - Stéphane Bonnes, soccer player.
- 5 March - Stéphane Martine, soccer player.
- 13 March - Faustine Merret, windsurfer and Olympic gold medallist.
- 22 March - Arnaud Le Lan, soccer player.
- 26 March - Cédric Mouret, soccer player.
- 27 March - Amélie Cocheteux, tennis player.
- 28 March - Fabien Audard, soccer player.
- 30 March - Édouard Cissé, soccer player.
- 31 March - Jérôme Rothen, international soccer player.
April to June
- 4 April - Mathieu Assou-Ekotto, soccer player.
- 5 April - Boussad Houche, soccer player.
- 5 April - Arnaud Tournant, cyclist.
- 8 April - Didier Domi, soccer player.
- 11 April - David Ducourtioux, soccer player.
- 5 May - Bruno Cheyrou, soccer player.
- 11 May - Laetitia Casta, supermodel and actress.
- 15 May - Sébastien Chabbert, soccer player.
- 15 May - Yohan Demont, soccer player.
- 27 May - Jacques Abardonado, soccer player.
- 29 May - Sébastien Grosjean, tennis player.
- 2 June - Nicolas Bal, Nordic combined skier and Olympic medallist.
- 6 June - Faudel, singer.
- 11 June - Julien Rodriguez, soccer player.
- 15 June - Jérôme Moïso, basketball player.
- 17 June - Isabelle Delobel, ice dancer.
- 17 June - Véronique Delobel, ice dancer.
- 23 June - Frédéric Leclercq, bassist.
- 28 June – Clarisse Albrecht, singer-songwriter, actress and former model
July to September
- 17 July - Émilie Simon, singer and composer.
- 18 July - Mélissa Theuriau, journalist and news anchor.
- 20 July - Cédric Heymans, rugby union player.
- 26 July - Matthieu Bataille, judoka.
- 28 July - Yannick Jauzion, rugby union player.
- 29 July - Julien Laharrague, rugby union player.
- 4 August - Emmanuelle Boidron, actress.
- 7 August - Alexandre Aja, film director.
- 9 August - Audrey Tautou, actress.
- 14 August - Pascal Delhommeau, soccer player.
- 19 August - François Modesto, soccer player.
- 19 August - Sebastien Tortelli, twice World Champion motocross racer.
- 27 August - Franck Queudrue, soccer player.
- 29 August - Yves Deroff, soccer player.
- 31 August - Philippe Christanval, soccer player.
- 9 September - Alioune Touré, soccer player.
- 11 September - Laurent Courtois, soccer player.
- 13 September - Sonia Huguet, cyclist.
- 20 September - Julien Bonnaire, rugby union player.
- 23 September - Frédéric Daquin, soccer player.
- 23 September - Ingrid Jacquemod, alpine skier.
- 27 September - Jean-Joël Perrier-Doumbé, soccer player.
October to December
- 5 October - Fabien Boudarène, soccer player.
- 29 October - Jérôme Guisset, rugby league player.
- 28 November - Denis Flahaut, cyclist.
- November - Mélanie Doutey, actress.
- 7 December - Jean Bouilhou, rugby union player.
- 10 December - Grégory Proment, soccer player.
- 11 December - Eric Borel, spree killer (died 1995).
- 16 December - Sylvain Distin, soccer player.
Full date unknown
- Valérie Crunchant, actress.
- Damien Luce, pianist.
Deaths
January to June
- 8 January - André François-Poncet, politician and diplomat (born 1887).
- 16 January - Jean Gounot, gymnast and Olympic medallist (born 1894).
- 22 January - Léon Damas, poet and politician (born 1912).
- 24 January - Georges Perros, writer (born 1923).
- 31 January - Marie-Louise Damien, singer and actress (born 1889).
- 2 March - Alix Combelle, swing jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist and bandleader (born 1912).
- 11 March - Hélène Bouvier, operatic mezzo-soprano (born 1905).
- 11 March - Claude François, singer and songwriter (born 1939).
- 15 March - Jacques Forestier, rheumatologist (born 1890).
- 18 March - François Duprat, negationist writer (born 1941).
- 19 March - Gaston Julia, mathematician (born 1893).
- 20 March - Jacques Brugnon, tennis player (born 1895).
- 23 April - Jacques Rueff, economist and adviser to the French Government (born 1896).
- 4 May - Henri Curiel, political activist, assassinated (born 1914).
- 24 June - Robert Charroux, writer (born 1909).
July to December
- 14 July - Gaston Ragueneau, athlete and Olympic medallist (born 1881).
- 22 July - André Chapelon, mechanical engineer and designer of steam locomotives (born 1892).
- 23 July - Danielle Collobert, author, poet and journalist (born 1940).
- 26 August - Charles Boyer, actor (born 1899).
- 6 September - Max Décugis, tennis player (born 1882).
- 8 September - Jean Nicolas, international soccer player (born 1913).
- 19 September - Étienne Gilson, Thomistic philosopher and historian of philosophy (born 1884).
- 16 November - Claude Dauphin, actor (born 1903).
- 5 December - Bernard Faÿ, historian (born 1893).
- 21 December - Roger Caillois, writer and intellectual (born 1913).
Full date unknown
- Georges Bénézé, philosopher (born 1888).
- Henri Chapron, automobile coachbuilder (born 1886).
- Robert Debré, pediatrician (born 1882).
- Camille Le Mercier d'Erm, poet, historian and Breton nationalist (born 1888).