Events from the year 1998 in France.

Incumbents

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 ful ...

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...

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 is not ...

: Lionel Jospin

Events

*6 February – The French

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

Claude Erignac is assassinated in the streets of

Ajaccio Ajaccio (, , ; French: ; it, Aiaccio or ; co, Aiacciu , locally: ; la, Adiacium) is a French commune, prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud, and head office of the ''Collectivité territoriale de Corse'' (capital city of Corsica). ...

, Corsica. *15 March – Cantonales Elections held. *15 March – Regional Elections held. *22 March – Cantonales Elections held. *April – The

Renault Laguna The Renault Laguna is a large family car that was manufactured and marketed by Renault for 21 years in three body styles: hatchback, coupé, and estate. The first generation Laguna was launched in 1994, the second generation was introduced in 200 ...

is restyled more than four years after its launch. An all-new model is due in the year 2000. *11 May – The first

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

coins are minted in Pessac, France. Because the final specifications for the coins were not finished in 1998, they will have to be melted and minted again in 1999. *12 June – The

Football World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament has ...

commences in France. The host nation defeats

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

3–0 in their opening group game.

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 t ...

and

Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best players ...

are on the scoresheet, with an own goal from opponent Pierra Issa completing the victory. *18 June – France's World Cup quest continues in fine form with a 4–0 win over

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

in which Thierry Henry scored twice, with the other goals coming from David Trezeguet and Bixente Lizarazu. *24 June – France are group winners and progress to the last 16 of the World Cup with a 2–1 win over

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

in which

Youri Djorkaeff Youri Raffi Djorkaeff (born 9 March 1968) is a French former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or forward. Throughout his club career, he played for teams in France, Italy, Germany, England, and the United States. At ...

and Emmanuel Petit score. *28 June – An extra time goal by

Laurent Blanc Laurent Robert Blanc (born 19 November 1965) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back, and is currently the manager of Ligue 1 club Lyon. He has the nickname ''Le Président'', which was given to him ...

gives France a 1–0 win over

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

in the last 16 of the World Cup. *3 July – France win the World Cup quarter final against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

on penalties after a goalless draw. *8 July – France reach the World Cup final with a semi-final win over

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. Defender

Lilian Thuram Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien (; born 1 January 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He began playing football professionally in his homeland with Monaco and played in the top flight in France, Italy and Spai ...

is on the scoresheet twice in a 2–1 win. *12 July – France are football world champions for the first time ever with a 3–0 win over holders

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

at the

Stade de France The Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is used by the France national foot ...

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 most ...

scores twice before Emmanuel Petit's injury time goal completes the victory. *10 September –

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...

launches the all-new

206 Year 206 ( CCVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Umbrius and Gavius (or, less frequently, year 959 ''Ab urbe condit ...

supermini, a replacement for the long-running

205 Year 205 ( CCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Geta (or, less frequently, year 958 '' Ab urbe condita' ...

. It gives Peugeot a much more modern car to rival the likes of the

Ford Fiesta The Ford Fiesta is a supermini car marketed by Ford since 1976 over seven generations. Over the years, the Fiesta has mainly been developed and manufactured by Ford's European operations, and has been positioned below the Escort (later the ...

and

Volkswagen Polo The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car (B-segment) produced by the German car manufacturer Volkswagen since 1975. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, saloon, and estate variants throughout its production run. History ...

. *31 December – The final Peugeot 205 rolls off the assembly line, more than 15 years after production began. It was mostly sold only in France for the last two years of its production, having been one of Europe's best selling cars in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Its replacement is the

, which has been built in France and Britain since the autumn.

Arts and literature

Claude Serre Claude Serre (10 November 1938 – 13 November 1998) was a French cartoonist born in Sucy-en-Brie, Val-de-Marne. After academic studies, he studied the craft of stained glass for eight years under Max Ingrand, along with his cousin Jean Gou ...

, French cartoonist (b.

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

)

Sport

*10 June –

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...

begins in France. *28 June – French Grand Prix takes place, won by Michael Schumacher of Germany. *11 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 in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Republic of Ireland. *12 July – World Cup ends, won by

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. *2 August – Tour de France ends, won by

Marco Pantani Marco Pantani (; 13 January 1970 – 14 February 2004) was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely regarded as the greatest climbing specialist in the history of the sport by measures of his legacy, credits from other riders, and records. He rec ...

of Italy.

Births

* October –

Cécile Haussernot Cécile Haussernot (born 22 October 1998) is a French chess player holding the title of Woman International Master (WIM). She was twice European champion in her age girls category. Career Haussernot learned how to move the pieces at the age of ...

, chess player * 2 October –

Maxime Godart Maxime Godart (born 2 October 1999) is a French actor. Filmography As actor * 2009: ''Le Petit Nicolas'' - Nicolas "Têtes de l'art" by Laurence Haloche, link to article''Le Figaro'', 18/09/2009 * 2009: '' Les Meilleurs Amis du Monde'' - Bru ...

, actor * 20 December –

Kylian Mbappé Kylian Mbappé Lottin (born 20 December 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is renowned for his dribb ...

, footballer

Deaths

January to March

*18 January –

Georges Coudray Georges Coudray (2 June 1902, in Évran, Côtes d'Armor – 18 January 1998 in Saint Malo) was a French politician, and a deputy to the French National Assembly for the Popular Republican Movement. He was the last mayor of Paramé before its ...

, politician (b. 1902) *28 January –

Louise Laroche Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...

, one of the last remaining survivors of the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' (b. 1910) *6 February –

Marcela Delpastre Marcela Delpastre (; oc, Marcèla Delpastre ) was an Occitan- and French-language author from Limousin. She was born on September 2, 1925 and died on February 6, 1998. She is known in non-Occitan-speaking France as Marcelle Delpastre. Biography ...

, author (b. 1925) *9 February – Maurice Schumann, politician (b. 1911) *1 March –

Jean Marie Balland Jean Marie Julien Balland (26 July 1934 in Bué, Cher, France – 1 March 1998 in Lyon) was a Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Lyon. Early life He entered the seminary and later attended the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome where ...

, Roman Catholic cardinal (b. 1934) *30 March – Michèle Arnaud, singer, producer and director (b. 1919)

April to June

*4 April –

Pierre Lantier Pierre Lantier (30 April 1910 – 4 April 1998) was a French composer and pianist, and the husband of fellow composer Paule Maurice. Born in Marseilles, Lantier was affiliated with the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1937, he won the prestigious Prix d ...

, composer and pianist (b. 1910) *13 April – Patrick de Gayardon,

skydiver Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachut ...

skysurfer Sky surfing is a type of skydiving and extreme sport in which the skydiver wears a custom skysurf board attached to the feet and performs surfing-style aerobatics during freefall. The boards used are generally smaller than actual surfboards, an ...

and a BASE jumper (b. 1960) *19 April –

Armand Jammot Armand Jammot (4 April 1922 – 19 April 1998) was a French television producer. He produced a number of shows, most notably ''Les Dossiers de l'Écran'', and in 1965, he created '' Des chiffres et des lettres''. In 1982, Yorkshire Televis ...

, television producer (b. 1922) *21 April – Jean-François Lyotard, philosopher and literary theorist (b. 1924) *21 April –

Louis Maratier Louis Maratier (3 March 1922 – 21 April 1998) was a French post-impressionist artist and painter who specialised in austere still life and static depictions of animals. His best known work is, however, a Landscape; ''Les Atlanteans'' (Musée d ...

, painter (b. 1922) *22 April – Régine Pernoud, historian and medievalist (b. 1909) *27 April –

Anne Desclos Anne Cécile Desclos (23 September 1907 – 27 April 1998) was a French journalist and novelist who wrote under the pen names Dominique Aury and Pauline Réage. She is best known for her erotic novel ''Story of O'' (1954). Early life Born in ...

, journalist and novelist (b. 1907) *13 May – Chantal Mauduit, alpinist (b. 1964) *14 June –

Ginette Mathiot Ginette Mathiot, Officier de la Légion d'Honneur, (23 May 1907 – 14 June 1998) was a French food writer and home economist. Mathiot wrote over 30 books including the famous ''Je sais cuisiner'' which sold over 6 million copies; she a ...

, food writer (b. 1907) *14 June – Éric Tabarly, sailor (b. 1931) *29 June – Louis Hostin, weightlifter and Olympic champion (b. 1908) *30 June – Léon Arthur Elchinger, Bishop of Strasbourg (b. 1908) *June – Jean Emile Charon, nuclear

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

(b. 1920)

July to December

*4 July – Roger Calmel, composer (b. 1920) *6 August –

André Weil André Weil (; ; 6 May 1906 – 6 August 1998) was a French mathematician, known for his foundational work in number theory and algebraic geometry. He was a founding member and the ''de facto'' early leader of the mathematical Bourbaki group. Th ...

, mathematician (b. 1906) *6 October –

Jean-François Jenny-Clark Jean-François "J.F." Jenny-Clark (12 July 1944 in Toulouse, France – 6 October 1998 in Paris) was a French double bass player. He was estimated as one of the most important bass players of European jazz. Allmusic credits/ref> Together with drum ...

, double bass player (b. 1944) *October –

René Pleimelding René Pleimelding (13 February 1925 – 20 October 1998), was a French soccer, football defender (football), defender and manager who played at the international level for France national football team, France. He was the father of two professiona ...

, soccer player (b. 1925) *8 November –

Jean Marais Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998), known professionally as Jean Marais (), was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 f ...

, actor (b. 1913) *10 November – Jean Leray, mathematician (b. 1906) *11 November –

Gérard Grisey Gérard Henri Grisey (; ; 17 June 1946 – 11 November 1998) was a twentieth-century French composer of contemporary classical music. His work is often associated with the Spectralist Movement in music, of which he was a major pioneer. Biograp ...

, composer (b. 1946) *13 November –

Edwige Feuillère Edwige Feuillère (born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti; October 29, 1907 – November 13, 1998) was a French stage and film actress. Biography She was born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti to an Italian architect father and an Alsace-born mo ...

, actress (b. 1907) *13 November –

, cartoonist (b. 1938) *November –

Gustave Malécot Gustave Malécot (28 December 1911 – November 1998) was a French mathematician whose work on heredity had a strong influence on population genetics. Biography Malécot grew up in L'Horme, a small village near St. Étienne in the Loire ...

, mathematician (b. 1911)

Full date unknown

Maurice Bardèche Maurice Bardèche (1 October 1907 – 30 July 1998) was a French art critic and journalist, better known as one of the leading exponents of neo-fascism in post–World War II Europe. Bardèche was also the brother-in-law of the collaborationist ...

, essayist, literary and art critic, journalist and

Neo-Fascist Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration sent ...

(b. 1907) *

Lucien Bodard Lucien Bodard (9 January 1914 – 2 March 1998) was a French reporter and writer on events in Asia. Life Bodard was born on January 9, 1914, in Chongqing (central China) to the French consul Albert Bodard, who was stationed several years in Chi ...

, reporter and writer on events in Asia (b. 1914) *

Jean-Pierre Brucato Jean-Pierre Brucato (7 April 1944 – 1998) was a French football player who played for Racing Paris, Rennes, AC Ajaccio Athletic Club Ajaccio ( co, Athletic Club Aiacciu), commonly referred to as AC Ajaccio, ''ACA'' or simply Ajaccio, i ...

, soccer player (b. 1944) *

Philippe Charbonneaux Philippe Charbonneaux (18 February 1917 – 4 June 1998) was a French industrial designer, best known for automobile and truck design, but also known for other products such as television sets. Many of his works are now exhibited in places s ...

, product designer (b. 1917) * Louis Dumont,

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...

(b. 1911) *

Jacques Médecin Jacques Médecin (5 May 1928 – 17 November 1998) was a French politician. A member of the Gaullism, Gaullist party Rally for the Republic, RPR, he succeeded his father Jean Médecin as mayor of the city of Nice, France, Nice, serving from 1966 ...

, politician (b. 1928) *

Jean-Jacques Millant Jean-Jacques Millant (1928–1998) was an influential French bow maker/archetier (French word for maker of string family bows) of the Dominique Peccatte school. His cousin, Bernard Millant (born 1929) produced bows similar in style. Millant, ...

, bow maker (b. 1928) *

Jackie Sardou Jackie Sardou (7 April 1919 – 2 April 1998) was a French actress. Personal life She was born Jacqueline Labbé in Paris, and married Fernand Sardou, a singer. She was the mother of singer Michel Sardou; and grandmother of author Romain Sardou ...

, actress (b. 1919) * Marc Sautet, philosopher and writer (b. 1947) *

Pierre Villette Pierre Villette (7 February 1926 – 6 March 1998) was a French composer of choral and instrumental music. Villette was born into a musical family in 1926 at Duclair, Normandy. He studied with Maurice Duruflé before attending the Paris Conserv ...

, composer (b. 1926)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1998 in France 1990s in France