Events from the year 2002 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 Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002. Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...

(until 7 May),

Jean-Pierre Raffarin Jean-Pierre Raffarin (; born 3 August 1948) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005. He resigned after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. Howeve ...

(starting 7 May)

Events

*1 January – the

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 . ...

replaces the

French franc The franc (, ; sign: F or Fr), also commonly distinguished as the (FF), was a currency of France. Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money. It w ...

as France's currency. *6 March – France agrees to return the remains of

Saartjie Baartman Sarah Baartman (; 1789– 29 December 1815), also spelt Sara, sometimes in the diminutive form Saartje (), or Saartjie, and Bartman, Bartmann, was a Khoikhoi woman who was exhibited as a freak show attraction in 19th-century Europe under the n ...

to South Africa. *21 April – first round of the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

and

Jean-Marie le Pen Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (, born 20 June 1928) is a French far-right politician who served as President of the National Front from 1972 to 2011. He also served as Honorary President of the National Front from 2011 to 2015. Le Pen graduated fro ...

poll the most votes. Two weeks of demonstrations against the National Front follow. *5 May – second round of the presidential election.

returns for a second term as

President of the French Republic 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 is ...

. *6 May – nomination of

for the post of

. *9 June – first round of the

legislative elections 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 ( ...

*16 June – second round of legislative elections. *14 July – During

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...

celebrations,

escapes an assassination attempt unscathed. *November –

Citroën Citroën () is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded in March 1919 by André Citroën. Citroën is owned by Stellantis since 2021 and previously was part of the PSA Group after Peugeot acquired ...

launches a revised model of its popular Berlingo leisure activity vehicle. *November –

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

launches the second generation of Mégane hatchback range of hatchbacks, estates, convertibles and saloons. *December – The Renault Megane II is voted

European Car of the Year The European Car of the Year ("ECOTY") award is an international Car of the Year award established in 1964, by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organising companies of the award are ''Auto'' (Ita ...

. *Date unknown: **''

Danyel Waro, fyer bâtard ''Danyel Waro, fyer bâtard'' (in English, ''Danyel Waro, the Proud Bastard'') is a 2002 documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instru ...

'' documentary film is released. **

Trident Media Guard Trident Media Guard (TMG) is a French company that specializes in software to prevent unauthorized copying of files over the Internet. Founded in 2002 by Alain Guislain and Bastien Casalta, it is located in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire near Nan ...

company is founded.

Arts and literature

Sport

*6 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. *21 July –

French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de France), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championsh ...

won by

Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; ; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Schumacher has a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Lewis ...

of Germany. *28 July – Tour de France ends, won by

Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong (''né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist. Regarded as a sports icon for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 Tour de ...

of the United States.

Births

10 November Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Emperor Leo II dies after a reign of ten months. He is succeeded by his father Zeno, who becomes sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire. * 937 – Ten Kingdoms: Li Bian usurps the throne and deposes Emperor Yang ...

–

Eduardo Camavinga Eduardo Celmi Camavinga (born 10 November 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and the France national team. Early life Camavinga was born in a refugee camp in Cabinda, Angola in 2002 ...

, French footballer

Deaths

January to March

*11 January –

Henri Verneuil Henri Verneuil (; born Ashot Malakian; 15 October 1920 – 11 January 2002) was a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker, who made a successful career in France. He was nominated for Oscar and Palme d'Or awards, and won Locarno International Fi ...

, playwright and filmmaker (born 1920). *13 January – Pierre Joubert,

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

(born 1910). *23 January **

Pierre Bourdieu Pierre Bourdieu (; 1 August 1930 – 23 January 2002) was a French sociologist and public intellectual. Bourdieu's contributions to the sociology of education, the theory of sociology, and sociology of aesthetics have achieved wide influence i ...

, sociologist (born 1930). **

Maurice Limat Maurice Limat (September 23, 1914 - January 23, 2002) was a French author of science fiction. His œuvre, particularly abundant, was published primarily by publisher Fleuve Noir. He used a variety of pseudonyms, notably Maurice Lionel, Maurice d ...

, science fiction author (born 1914). *13 February –

Pauline Trigère Pauline Trigère (November 4, 1908 – February 13, 2002) was a Franco-American couturière. Her award-winning styles reached their height of popularity in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. Recognized early in her career as an i ...

, fashion designer (born 1908). *14 February –

Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz (25 October 1920 – 14 February 2002) was a member of the French Resistance and served as president of ATD Quart Monde. Her uncle was General Charles de Gaulle. French Resistance Geneviève de Gaulle joined ...

, member of the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

and president of ATD Quart Monde (born 1920). *21 February –

Georges Vedel Georges Vedel (5 July 1910 – 21 February 2002) was a French public law professor from Auch, France. Biography Vedel is credited as being "the reviser of public law n France" He was a faculty member of universities in Poitiers, Toulouse, an ...

public law Public law is the part of law that governs relations between legal persons and a government, between different institutions within a state, between different branches of governments, as well as relationships between persons that are of direct ...

professor (born 1910). *8 March – Robert Dun, writer and SS officer (born 1920). *12 March –

Louis-Marie Billé Louis-Marie Billé (18 February 1938 – 12 March 2002) was a French clergyman, archbishop of Lyon from 6 September 1998 and a cardinal until his death in office. Life Louis Marie Billé studied Catholic Theology and Philosophy in Luçon, ...

, cardinal (born 1938). *22 March –

Marcel Hansenne Marcel Hansenne (January 24, 1917 – March 22, 2002) was a French middle distance runner, who won the bronze medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London over 800 m in a time of 1:49.8 min. The race was won by Mal Whitfield. Hansenne al ...

, middle-distance runner (born 1917).

April to June

*19 April – Jean-Pierre Destrumelle, soccer player and manager (born 1941). *22 May –

Niki de Saint Phalle Niki de Saint Phalle (; born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle; 29 October 193021 May 2002) was a French-American sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monume ...

, sculptor, painter and filmmaker (born 1930). *25 May –

Michel Jobert Michel Jobert (; 11 September 1921 – 25 May 2002) was a French politician of the left-wing Gaullist orientation. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Georges Pompidou, and as Minister of External Commerce under François Mitterra ...

, politician (born 1921). *29 May – François Ovide, guitarist (born 1952). *6 June –

Bernard Destremau Bernard Destremau (; 11 February 1917 – 6 June 2002) was a French tennis player, tank officer, diplomat and politician. Biography Born in Paris into a military family, the third son of a WW I cavalry general, his success in accommodating comp ...

, tennis player (born 1917). *12 June –

Jean de Beaumont Count Jean Bonnin de la Bonninière de Beaumont (13 January 1904 – 12 June 2002), known as Jean de Beaumont, was a French businessman, politician, journalist and sport shooter who competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics. Biography De Beaumont ...

sport shooter Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such a ...

(born 1904). *29 June –

François Périer François Périer (born François Pillu; 10 November 1919 – 29 June 2002), was a French actor renowned for his expressiveness and diversity of roles. He made over 110 film and TV appearances between 1938 and 1996, with notable excursion into ...

, actor (born 1919). *30 June **

Claude Berge Claude Jacques Berge (5 June 1926 – 30 June 2002) was a French mathematician, recognized as one of the modern founders of combinatorics and graph theory. Biography and professional history Claude Berge's parents were André Berge and Genevièv ...

, mathematician (born 1926). **

Roger Lévêque Roger Lévêque (5 December 1920 in Saint-Nazaire – 30 June 2002 in Saint-Avertin) was a professional French road racing cyclist from 1946 to 1953. His only victory was the 4th stage of the 1951 Tour de France, and in the same Tour he wo ...

, cyclist (born 1920).

July to September

*2 July –

Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur Daniel Jean-Yves Lesur (19 November 1908 – 2 July 2002) was a French organist and composer. He was the son of the composer Alice Lesur. Biography Born in Paris, he entered the Conservatoire de Paris at age 11, studying solfège with Emile Schw ...

, organist and composer (born 1908). *3 July –

Michel Henry Michel Henry (; 10 January 1922 – 3 July 2002) was a French philosopher, phenomenologist and novelist. He wrote five novels and numerous philosophical works. He also lectured at universities in France, Belgium, the United States, and Japa ...

, philosopher and novelist (born 1922). *31 July – Claude Rifat,

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

psychonaut Psychonautics (from the Ancient Greek ' 'soul, spirit, mind' and ' 'sailor, navigator') refers both to a methodology for describing and explaining the subjective effects of altered states of consciousness, including those induced by meditatio ...

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...

, writer and researcher. *2 August –

Jean-Pierre Yvaral Jean-Pierre Vasarely (1934–2002), professionally known as Yvaral, was a French artist working in the fields of op-art and kinetic art from 1954 onwards. He was the son of Victor Vasarely, who was a pioneer of op-art. Life and work Yvaral s ...

, artist (born 1934). *6 August – Jean Sauvagnargues, politician and Minister (born 1915). *8 September –

Henri Rol-Tanguy Henri Rol-Tanguy (12 June 1908 – 8 September 2002) was a French communist and a leader in the French Resistance, Resistance during World War II. At his death ''The New York Times'' called him ''"one of France's most decorated Resistance h ...

, communist and leader in the

(born 1908).

October to December

*12 October –

Audrey Mestre Audrey Mestre (11 August 1974 – 15 October 2002) was a French world record-setting freediver. Early life Mestre was born in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, to a family of snorkeling and scuba diving enthusiasts. She began swimming when s ...

free-diver Freediving, free-diving, free diving, breath-hold diving, or skin diving is a form of underwater diving that relies on breath-holding until resurfacing rather than the use of breathing apparatus such as scuba gear. Besides the limits of breath-h ...

(born 1974). *25 October –

René Thom René Frédéric Thom (; 2 September 1923 – 25 October 2002) was a French mathematician, who received the Fields Medal in 1958. He made his reputation as a topologist, moving on to aspects of what would be called singularity theory; he became w ...

, mathematician (born 1923). *26 October –

Jacques Massu Jacques Émile Massu (; 5 May 1908 – 26 October 2002) was a French general who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War, the Algerian War and the Suez crisis. He led French troops in the Battle of Algiers, first supporting and later ...

, General (born 1908). *31 October **

Lionel Poilâne Lionel Poilâne (June 10, 1945 – October 31, 2002) was a French baker and entrepreneur whose commitment to crafting quality bread earned him worldwide renown. His father, Pierre Poilâne started a baking business in 1932, creating bread us ...

, ''boulanger'' and entrepreneur (born c1945). **

Raymond Savignac Raymond Savignac, often just abbreviated to "Savignac", was a French graphic artist famous for his commercial posters. He was born on November 6, 1907 in Paris, and died on October 30, 2002 in Trouville-sur-Mer (Calvados), aged 94. His work is dis ...

graphic artist A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, p ...

(born 1907). *10 November –

Michel Boisrond Michel Jacques Boisrond (9 October 1921, Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais – 10 November 2002, La Celle-Saint-Cloud) was a French film director and screenwriter. His work spanned five decades, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Career A former apprentice ...

, film director and writer (born 1921). *23 November – Maritie Carpentier, television producer (born 1922). *29 November –

Daniel Gélin Daniel Yves Alfred Gélin (19 May 1921 – 29 November 2002) was a French film and television actor. Early life Gélin was born in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, the son of Yvonne (née Le Méner) and Alfred Ernest Joseph Gélin. When he was ten, ...

, actor, director and screenwriter (born 1921).

Full date unknown

* Jacques Poirier, painter (born 1928).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2002 in France 2000s in France