President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
:
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou ( , ; 5 July 19112 April 1974) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1969 until his death in 1974. He previously was Prime Minister of France of President Charles de Gaulle from 1962 to 196 ...
*
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Pierre Messmer
Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer (; 20 March 191629 August 2007) was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Minister of Armies under Charles de Gaulle from 1960 to 1969 – the longest serving since Étienne François, duc de Choiseul under L ...
(starting 6 July)
Events
*January - Launch of the Renault 5, one of the world's first small hatchbacks.
*23 April - French European Economic Community enlargement referendum, voters approved the accession of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, and Norway to the EEC.
*16 June - 108 die as two passenger trains hit debris of a collapsed railway tunnel near
Soissons
Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital o ...
.
*1 July - Canadian ketch ''
Vega
Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, a ...
'', flying the Greenpeace III banner, collides with the French naval minesweeper ''La Paimpolaise'' while in
international waters
The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed region ...
to protest French nuclear weapon tests in the South Pacific.
*5 July - President Pompidou dismisses prime minister Chaban-Delmas following rumours of financial misdoing.
*October - The
Peugeot 104
The Peugeot 104 is a supermini designed by Paolo Martin and produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot between 1972 and 1988. It was the first model produced at the company's Mulhouse plant. It was also the first new Peugeot introduced sin ...
, the smallest four-door car in the world, is launched.
*28 October - The first flight of the
Airbus A300
The Airbus A300 is a wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Airbus.
In September 1967, aircraft manufacturers in the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a large airliner.
West ...
, the first airliner built by Airbus.
Sport
*1 July -
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
begins.
*22 July - Tour de France ends, won by
Eddy Merckx
Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (, ; born 17 June 1945), better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional road and track bicycle racer who is among the most successful riders in the history of competitive cycling. His victorie ...
motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...
Judith Godrèche
Judith Godrèche (born 23 March 1972) is a French actress and author. She has appeared in more than 30 films.
Early life
Godrèche was born in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. Her father is a psychoanalyst, and her mother a child therapist. He ...
, actress and author.
*24 March -
Christophe Dugarry
Christophe Jérôme Dugarry (born 24 March 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. His clubs include Bordeaux, Milan, Barcelona, Marseille, Birmingham City and Qatar SC. He was also a member of the France team ...
, soccer player.
*25 March - Sébastien Flute, archer and Olympic gold medallist.
*27 March -
Agathe de La Fontaine
Agathe de La Fontaine (born 27 March 1972) is a French actress. Her film roles include '' Train de vie'' (1998), which shared the 1999 Sundance World Cinema Audience Award with ''Run Lola Run'', and ''Love in Paris'', the sequel to ''9½ Weeks'' ...
Gwendal Peizerat
Gwendal Peizerat (born 21 April 1972) is a French former competitive ice dancer. With Marina Anissina, he is the 2002 Olympic champion, the 1998 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2000 World champion, and a six-time French national champion.
Per ...
,
ice dancer
Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. Ac ...
.
*29 April -
Anne-Sophie Lapix
Anne-Sophie Lapix (born 29 April 1972 in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques) is a French journalist and television presenter mainly for the French news program on France 2. She used to deputise for Claire Chazal, presenting the evening ne ...
alpine skier
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...
.
*15 May -
David Charvet
David Franck Charvet (; born 15 May 1972) is a French singer, actor, model, and television personality.
Early life
Charvet was born and raised in Lyon, France, the son of Christiane Charvet Haddad and businessman Paul Guez, founder of the Sasson ...
, actor.
*20 May -
Christophe Dominici
Christophe Dominici (20 May 1972 – 24 November 2020) was a French rugby union player. In a career spanning seventeen years between 1991 and 2008, he played wing for Stade Français and France, scoring a total of 25 tries in 67 international c ...
, international rugby union player (died 2020).
*22 May -
Nathalie Teppe
Nathalie Teppe (born 22 May 1972 in Bourg-en-Bresse, Ain) is a French heptathlete
A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek επτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλο ...
,
heptathlete
A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek επτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a hept ...
windsurf
Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing g ...
er.
*19 June -
Jean Dujardin
Jean Edmond Dujardin (; born 19 June 1972) is a French actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Paris before guest starring in comedic television programmes and films. He first came to prominence with the cult TV series ...
, comedian.
*23 June -
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the mos ...
, international soccer player.
*28 June - Samir Amirèche, soccer player.
July to September
*5 July
**
David Benyamine
David Benyamine (born July 5, 1972 in Paris, France) is a French professional poker player with a World Poker Tour title. Benyamine was a professional tennis player in his early career but had to retire because of shoulder pain. He was also a su ...
, tennis, billiards and poker player.
**
Gilles Lellouche
Gilles Lellouche (; born 5 July 1972) is a French actor. He started his career as a director. Lellouche has appeared in more than fifty films since 1995. He was nominated twice for a César Award; in 2006 for Most Promising Actor and in 2011 f ...
Stéphane Carnot
Stéphane Carnot (born 10 July 1972) is a former French Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder.
Carnot played in Jean Tigana's Monaco side which defeated Manchester United knocking them out of the UEFA Champions League, Cham ...
, soccer player.
*14 July -
Loïc Le Meur
Loïc Le Meur (born 14 July 1972) is a French entrepreneur and blogger. He served as Executive Vice President EMEA at software company Six Apart after merging French blogging company Ublog with Six Apart in July 2004. In late 2006 Le Meur became ...
, entrepreneur and blogger.
*28 July -
Walter Bénéteau
Walter Bénéteau (28 July 1972 – 10 December 2022) was a French professional cyclist. He raced in every Tour de France from 2000 until 2006.
Career
Stage 1 of the 2006 Tour de France started with a seven-man break-away with Bénéteau being ...
Yann Lachuer
Yann Lachuer (born 5 August 1972) is a French football coach and former professional player who coaches SO Romorantin.
Playing career
Lachuer began his career in the 1992–93 season with US Créteil-Lusitanos in Ligue 2 the second tier of Fr ...
, soccer player.
*7 August - Ghislain Lemaire, judoka.
*13 August –
Michael Sinterniklaas
Michael Tremain Sinterniklaas (; born August 13, 1972) is a French voice actor, ADR director and script writer who has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films and television series, as well as cartoons ...
, French-born American voice actor
*19 August -
Fabien Cool
Fabien Cool (born 29 August 1972, in L'Isle-Adam) is a French former professional football goalkeeper.
Except for a loan spell at Gueugnon in the 1993–94 season, Cool played for Auxerre his whole career, helping them to win the national cha ...
, soccer player.
*20 August - Olivier Guégan, soccer player.
*1 September -
Vincent Riou
Vincent Riou (born 9 January 1972, Pont-l'Abbé, France) is a French sailor. He is the skipper of PRB, a 60-foot monohull. He won the 2004 edition of the Vendée Globe.
Recent events
As part of his introduction to solo racing he helped prepared ...
Olivia Bonamy
Olivia Bonamy (born 21 September 1972) is a French actress. She is best known for her appearances in the films '' Jefferson in Paris'', Jacques Audiard's '' Read My Lips'', the thriller '' Ils'' and '' Le ciel, les oiseaux et ta mère''.
Biogr ...
Frédéric Déhu
Frédéric Fabian William Déhu (born 24 October 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a central defender.
Club career
Born in Villeparisis, Seine-et-Marne, Déhu made his professional debut with RC Lens, becoming an u ...
, soccer player.
*25 October -
Esther Duflo
Esther Duflo, FBA (; born 25 October 1972) is a French–American economist who is a professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is the co-founder and co-director of the Abd ...
Jérôme Alonzo
Jérôme Sébastien Alonzo (born 20 November 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Honours
Nice
* Division 2: 1993–94
Paris Saint-Germain
* UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001
*Coupe de France
The Coupe de ...
, soccer player.
** Corinne Niogret, biathlete and Olympic medallist.
*22 November -
Olivier Brouzet
Olivier Brouzet (born 22 November 1972, in Béziers) is a French rugby union footballer. His usual position was at lock. He has played over 70 internationals for France, including being a part of numerous Rugby World Cup squads for France. He ...
, rugby union player.
*27 November - Stéphane Pocrain, television journalist.
*3 December -
Laurent Roux
Laurent Roux (born 3 December 1972 in Cahors) is a French former road bicycle racer.
Doping
In 1999, he was found guilty of using amphetamines and was suspended for six months. In 2002, he was tested non-negative for amphetamines after an out ...
, cyclist.
*4 December -
Franck Tournaire Franck Tournaire (born 4 December 1972 in Narbonne) is a former French international professional rugby union player now playing amateur rugby for US Carcassonne.
As a prop, Tournaire played for Narbonne, Toulouse, Leicester, Perpignan and Narb ...
, international rugby union player.
*5 December
**
Stéphane Barthe
Stéphane Barthe (; born 5 December 1972) is a French former racing cyclist. He won the French national road race title in 1997.
Major results
;1995
: 2nd Overall Tour du Loir-et-Cher
;1996
: 1st Stage 8 Ruban Granitier Breton
: 3rd Overall To ...
, racing cyclist
** Antoine Préget, soccer player.
*6 December -
Cyrille Pouget
Cyrille Pouget (born 6 December 1972) is a French former professional footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, Amer ...
, soccer player.
*13 December - Claude-Arnaud Rivenet, soccer player.
*19 December -
Cédric Soulette
Cédric Soulette (born 30 May 1972) is a French rugby union footballer. He currently plays for the AS Béziers club. In the past, he also played for Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Ga ...
, rugby union player.
*22 December -
Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Chantal Paradis (; born 22 December 1972) is a French singer, model, and actress. Paradis became a child star at the age of 14 with the international success of her single "Joe le taxi" (1987). At age 18, she was awarded France's hig ...
, singer and actress.
*24 December -
Richard Dutruel
Richard Philippe Dutruel (born 24 December 1972) is a French retired professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Club career
Dutruel was born in Thonon-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie. During his career he represented Paris Saint-Germain FC, Sta ...
Grégory Coupet
Grégory Coupet (born 31 December 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Throughout his playing career, he represented Saint-Étienne, Lyon, Atlético Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the Franc ...
, international soccer player.
Full date unknown
*
Jules de Balincourt
Jules de Balincourt (born 1972) is a French-born American contemporary artist, based in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his abstract, atmospheric paintings, with saturated colors, blurring the line between fantasy and reality.
Biogra ...
, painter.
*
Fabrice Bellard
Fabrice Bellard (; born 1972) is a French computer programmer known for writing FFmpeg, QEMU, and the Tiny C Compiler. He developed Bellard's formula for calculating single digits of pi. In 2012, Bellard co-founded Amarisoft, a telecommunicatio ...
Sylvain Guillot
Sylvain Guillot (born 1972) is a French jockey. He is married to the sister of fellow jockey Yannick Fouin and has one son, Thomas.
For three years from about 1987, Guillot did an apprenticeship with Jean-François Daubin at Maisons-Laffitte. In ...
, jockey.
Deaths
January to March
*1 January - Maurice Chevalier, actor and singer (born 1888).
*6 January -
Xavier Vallat
Xavier Vallat (December 23, 1891 – January 6, 1972), French politician and antisemite who was Commissioner-General for Jewish Questions in the wartime Vichy collaborationist government, and was sentenced after World War II to ten years in pr ...
, politician and Commissioner-General for
Jewish Question
The Jewish question, also referred to as the Jewish problem, was a wide-ranging debate in 19th- and 20th-century European society that pertained to the appropriate status and treatment of Jews. The debate, which was similar to other " national ...
s in
Vichy France
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its te ...
(born 1891).
*19 January - Suzanne Malherbe, illustrator and designer (born 1892).
*20 January -
Jean Casadesus
Jean Claude Michel Casadesus (17 July 1927 – 20 January 1972) was a French classical pianist. He was the son of the renowned pianists Robert and Gaby Casadesus, and grandnephew of Henri Casadesus and Marius Casadesus.
Jean Casadesus was born ...
, classical
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
(born 1927).
*29 January - Claire Ferchaud, religious mystic (born 1896)
*17 February -
Youenn Drezen
Youenn Drezen (14 September 1899 – 17 February 1972) is the Breton language name of Yves Le Drézen, a Breton nationalist writer and activist. He is also known as Corentin Cariou and Tin Gariou.
Youth
He was born in Pont-l'Abbé, Finistère ...
,
Breton nationalist
Breton nationalism ( Breton: ''roadelouriezh Brezhoneg'', French: ''nationalisme Breton'') is a form of regional nationalism associated with the region of Brittany in France. The political aspirations of Breton nationalists include the desire ...
writer and activist (born 1899).
*21 February
**
Marie Dubas
Marie Dubas (3 September 1894 – 21 February 1972) was a French music-hall singer, diseuse and comedian.
Biography
Born in Paris, France, Marie Dubas began her career as a stage actress but became famous as a singer. Using the great Yvette Guil ...
, music-hall singer and comedian (born 1894).
**
Eugène Tisserant
Eugène-Gabriel-Gervais-Laurent Tisserant (; 24 March 1884 – 21 February 1972) was a French prelate and cardinal of the Catholic Church. Elevated to the cardinalate in 1936, Tisserant was a prominent and long-time member of the Roman Curia.
...
Alice Pruvot-Fol
Alice Pruvot-Fol (4 August 1873 – 28 March 1972) was a French opisthobranch malacologist.
She was the author of many new species, mostly described on the basis of preserved animals. She described a new species (''Nembrotha rutilans'', Pruv ...
,
malacologist
Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, ...
(born 1873).
April to June
*10 April -
Henri de la Falaise
Henry de La Falaise, Marquis de La Coudraye (born James Henry Le Bailly de La Falaise, February 11, 1898 – April 10, 1972), was a French nobleman, translator, film director, film producer, sometime actor, and war hero who was best known for his ...
,
translator
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...
Maurice Cottenet
Maurice Cottenet (11 February 1895 – 11 April 1972) was a French footballer. He was part of France national football team at the 1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games o ...
Vichy regime
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...
Robert Lingat Robert Lingat (Rō̜ Lǣngkā, th, โรแบร์ แลงกาต์, 1892 – 1972), was a French-born academic and legal scholar most known for his masterwork on the practice of classical Hindu Law. He died May 7, 1972, one year befor ...
, academic scholar (born 1892).
*28 May -
Violette Leduc
Violette Leduc (7 April 1907 – 28 May 1972) was a French writer.
Early life and education
She was born in Arras, Pas de Calais, France, on 7 April 1907. She was the illegitimate daughter of a servant girl, Berthe Leduc, and André Debaralle ...
, author (born 1907).
*5 June -
Jean Moreau
Adrien Édouard Jean Moreau (31 July 1888 – 5 June 1972) was a French politician.
Moreau was born in Paris. He belonged first to the Republican Party of Liberty (1945–1946), then to the Independent Republicans (1946–1955) and then to ...
, politician (born 1888).
*29 June -
Boby Lapointe
Robert Jean-François Joseph Pascal Lapointe (; 16 April 1922 – 29 June 1972), better known by his stage name Boby Lapointe (), was a French actor and singer, noted for his humorous texts, alliterationsSee the titles: ''Aubade à Lydie en do'', ...
Max Aub
Max Aub Mohrenwitz (June 2, 1903, Paris – July 22, 1972 Mexico City) was a Mexican-Spanish experimentalist novelist, playwright, poet, and literary critic. In 1965 he founded the literary periodical ''Los Sesenta'' (the Sixties), with edit ...
, author, playwright and literary critic (born 1903).
*14 August -
Jules Romains
Jules Romains (born Louis Henri Jean Farigoule; 26 August 1885 – 14 August 1972) was a French poet and writer and the founder of the Unanimism literary movement. His works include the play '' Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecine'', and a cycle ...
, poet and writer (born 1885).
*16 August -
Pierre Brasseur
Pierre Brasseur (22 December 1905 – 16 August 1972), born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French actor.
Biography
The son of actors Georges Espinasse and Germaine Brasseur, the latter a cousin of Albert Brasseur; his grandfather, Jules B ...
, actor (born 1905).
*21 August
**
Albert Achard
Albert Achard (26 March 1894 – 21 August 1972) was a French flying ace of the First World War, credited with five aerial victories, one as an observer and four as a pilot. He served as a reserve air force officer in the 1920s and 1930s, and ret ...
, World War I
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
tic soprano (born 1885).
*24 August - Lucien Rebatet, author, journalist and intellectual (born 1903).
*14 September -
Jean-Jacques Bernard Jean-Jacques Bernard (30 July 1888 – 14 September 1972) was a French playwright and the chief representative of what became known as ''l’école du silence'' or, as some critics called it, the ''art of the unexpressed'', in which the dialogue doe ...
, playwright (born 1888)
*19 September -
Robert Casadesus
Robert Marcel Casadesus (7 April 1899 – 19 September 1972) was a renowned 20th-century French pianist and composer. He was the most prominent member of a distinguished musical family, being the nephew of Henri Casadesus and Marius Casadesus, ...
, pianist and composer (born 1899).
*21 September -
Henry de Montherlant
Henry Marie Joseph Frédéric Expedite Millon de Montherlant (; 20 April 1895 – 21 September 1972) was a French essayist, novelist, and dramatist. He was elected to the Académie française in 1960.
Biography
Born in Paris, a descendant ...
, essayist, novelist and playwright (born 1896).
*28 September -
Maurice Thiriet
Maurice Thiriet (; 2 May 1906 – 28 September 1972) was a French composer of classical and film music.
Biography
Born in Meulan, Yvelines, Maurice Thiriet attended the Paris Conservatory from 1925 to 1931, studying counterpoint and fugue with ...
, composer (born 1906).
October to December
*29 October - Julien Maitron, cyclist (born 1881).
*18 November -
André Héléna
André Héléna (8 April 1919 - 18 November 1972) was a French writer who spent most of his life in Leucate (southern France) on the mediterranean coast. He was born in Narbonne and died at Leucate, aged 53.
Bibliography
*''Les flics ont toujours ...
, writer (born 1919).
*27 November - Robert Schurrer, athlete and Olympic medallist (born 1890).
*13 December -
René Mayer
René Mayer (; 4 May 189513 December 1972) was a French Radical politician of the Fourth Republic who served briefly as Prime Minister during 1953.
Mayer was born and died in Paris. He led the Mayer Authority from 1955 to 1958. He was Fran ...
François Bourbotte
François Bourbotte (24 February 1913 – 15 December 1972) was a French professional footballer who played as a defender and midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusive ...