Events from the year 1946 in France.

Incumbents

* Chairman of the Provisional Government (also Prime Minister): ** until 26 January: Charles de Gaulle ** 26 January-24 June:

Félix Gouin Félix Gouin (; 4 October 1884 – 25 October 1977) was a French Socialist politician who was a member of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO). Personal life Félix Gouin was born in Peypin, Bouches-du-Rhône, the son of ...

** 24 June-28 November: Georges Bidault ** 28 November-16 December:

Vincent Auriol Vincent Jules Auriol (; 27 August 1884 – 1 January 1966) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1947 to 1954. Early life and politics Auriol was born in Revel, Haute-Garonne, as the only child of Jacques Antoine Aurio ...

(interim) ** starting 16 December: Leon Blum

Events

*16 January – Charles de Gaulle resigns as a head of a French

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...

. *20 January – Charles de Gaulle resigns as

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...

. *6 March –

Ho Chi Minh (: ; born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), commonly known as (' Uncle Hồ'), also known as ('President Hồ'), (' Old father of the people') and by other aliases, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman. He served as P ...

signs an agreement with France which recognizes

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

as an autonomous state in the Indochinese Federation and the French Union. *19 March –

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas. ...

, Guadeloupe,

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

and Réunion become overseas

départements A department (, ) is an administrative or political division in several countries. Departments are the first-level divisions of 11 countries, nine in the Americas and two in Africa. An additional 10 countries use departments as second-level div ...

of France. *7 April – Syria's independence from France is officially recognised. *5 May –

Constitutional Referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

held and proposed constitution rejected. *2 June –

Legislative Election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

held. *5 July – The

bikini A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features two triangles of fabric on top that cover the breasts, and two triangles of fabric on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but exposing the navel, and the back coverin ...

, designed by Louis Réard, is first modeled by Micheline Bernardini at the Piscine Molitor in Paris. *13 October –

held and constitution approved, creating the

French Fourth Republic The French Fourth Republic (french: Quatrième république française) was the republican government of France from 27 October 1946 to 4 October 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Re ...

. *10 November –

held for the first

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

of the Fourth Republic. *December – Severe winter weather. *12 December – Léon Blum founds a government of socialist parties in France. *16 December – Luxury brand Christian Dior is established in Paris by designer Christian Dior. *24 December –

founded.

Births

January to June

*14 February –

Tina Aumont Maria Christina "Tina" Aumont (February 14, 1946 – October 28, 2006) was an American actress. She was the daughter of French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont and Dominican actress Maria Montez. She made her acting debut in the British film ''Modesty Bl ...

, actress (died 2006) *7 April –

Colette Besson Colette Besson (7 April 1946 – 9 August 2005) was a French athlete, the surprise winner of the 400 m at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Athletic career Prior to the 1968 Olympics, Besson, an unknown physical education teacher, qualifi ...

, Olympic athlete (died 2005) *17 April –

Alain Dorval Alain Dorval (born Alain Bergé born April 17, 1946) is a French voice actor born in Algiers. He is best known as the official dub-over artist of Sylvester Stallone, Nick Nolte, and the Disney character Pete. His voice can also be heard on the r ...

, voice actor *13 May –

Jean Rondeau : Jean Rondeau (13 May 1946 in Le Mans, France – 27 December 1985 in Champagné, France) was a French race car driver and constructor, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1980, in a car bearing his own name, an achievement which remains unique ...

, motor racing driver and constructor (died 1985) *16 May –

Jean-Michel Gaillard Jean-Michel Gaillard (May 16, 1946, Pont-Sant-Esprit in Gard, France – July 19, 2005, Paris) was a high-ranking French official. He was, most notably, director general of Antenne 2 (now France 2), from 1989 to 1991. He was a student of the Éc ...

, politician (died 2005) *17 May – Philippe Tillous-Borde, entrepreneur and engineer (died 2022) *19 May –

André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by excess ...

, professional wrestler (died 1993) *17 June –

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 (died 1998)

July to December

*22 July –

Mireille Mathieu Mireille Mathieu (; born 22 July 1946) is a French singer. She has recorded over 1200 songs in eleven languages, with more than 122 million records sold worldwide. Biography and career Early years Mireille Mathieu was born on 22 July 1946 in A ...

, singer *25 July –

Nicole Farhi Nicole Farhi, Lady Hare, CBE (born 25 July 1946) is a former French fashion designer, now sculptor born in Nice, France. Life Born in France Farhi is the daughter of Sephardic Jews from Turkey Her father sold rugs and lighting. She attended s ...

, sculptor and

fashion design Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designer creates ...

er *30 September – Claude Vorilhon, leader of Raëlian Movement *8 October –

Jean-Jacques Beineix Jean-Jacques Beineix (; 8 October 1946 – 13 January 2022) was a French film director best known for the films ''Diva'' and ''Betty Blue''. His work is regarded as a prime example of the ''cinéma du look'' film movement in France. Early life ...

, film director (died 2022) *6 November – Romain Argyroudis, soccer player *18 November – Pierre Chanal, soldier and suspected

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

(died 2003) *8 December – Jacques Bourboulon, photographer *17 December – François Lamoureux, European civil servant (died 2006) *24 December –

Roselyne Bachelot Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, generally known as Roselyne Bachelot (née Narquin; born 24 December 1946) is a French politician who served as Minister of Culture in the government of Prime Minister Jean Castex (2020–2022) and as Minister of Soli ...

, politician

Full date unknown

Jacques Hiron Jacques Hiron (born 1946) is a former merchant turned journalist, and writer of popular science, fiction and graphic novels. He lives in Leucate Leucate (; oc, Leucata) is a commune in the Aude department in southern France. It lies betwee ...

, journalist and writer * Denise Pumain, geographer

Deaths

*11 February – Ludovic-Oscar Frossard, socialist, communist politician (born 1889) *12 February – Georges Dumas, doctor, psychologist (born 1866) *9 June – Charles Burguet, film director (born 1878) *9 August –

Léon Gaumont Léon Ernest Gaumont (; 10 May 1864 – 10 August 1946) was a French inventor, engineer, and industrialist who was a pioneer of the motion picture industry. He founded the world’s first and oldest film studio Gaumont Film Company, and worked ...

, inventor, engineer, film pioneer and industrialist (born 1864) *16 September – Henri Gouraud, general (born 1867) *20 September –

Raimu Jules Auguste Muraire (18 December 1883 – 20 September 1946), whose stage name was Raimu, was a French actor. He is most famous for playing César in the 'Marseilles trilogy' ('' Marius'', '' Fanny'' and '' César''). Life and career Born in T ...

, actor (born 1883) *5 October – Cécile Brunschvicg, politician (born 1877) *12 December –

Renée Jeanne Falconetti Renée Jeanne FalconettiBoroson, Warren (April 11, 2006)''Daily Record''. claims: "Her name was Renee Jeanne Falconetti. Her daughter, Helene Falconetti, in a letter to me now in the New York Public Library Theatre Division, states that she does n ...

, actress (born 1892)

References

{{Year in Europe, 1946 1940s in France