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See also: 1967 in France, other events of 1968, 1969 in France.

Events from the year 1968 in France

Events

• 27 January - French submarine sinks in the Mediterranean with 52 men on board.
• 22 March - Daniel Cohn-Bendit and seven other students occupy Administrative offices of the University of Nanterre, setting in motion a chain of events that will lead France to the brink of revolution in May.
• 23 April - surgeons at the Hopital de la Pitie, Paris, perform Europe's first heart transplant operation.
• May - student strike in May and June developed into widespread and unprecedented protests over poor working conditions and a rigid educational system, which threatened to bring down the government.
• 13 May - over a million protesters marched through Paris. Notable among the protesters is philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, who becomes a figurehead of the movement.
• 30 May - Georges Pompidou is returned as Prime Minister following general election, but - largely due to the widespread protests of May and June, it lasts for a mere 42 days before president Charles de Gaulle dismisses him and calls a new election.
• 23 June - Legislative Election held.
• 30 June - Legislative Election held.
• 10 July - In the second election, Maurice Couve de Murville is elected as Prime Minister.
• 24 August - France explodes its first hydrogen bomb, thus becoming the world's fifth nuclear power.
• 11 September - Air France Flight 1611 crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off Nice, killing all 95 on board.
• The island of Moruroa (then known as Mururoa) in French Polynesia was used for French nuclear tests twice during the year (in August and September) leading to widespread protest from other Pacific nations.
• René Cassin wins the Nobel Prize for Peace.

Arts and literature

• Singer Dalida releases the singles "Le Temps des Fleurs", "Je m'endors dans tes bras", and"Si j'avais des millions".

Sport

• 6 February-18 February - The 1968 Winter Olympics takes place in Grenoble. The host nation finishes third on the medal table with four gold, three silver, and two bronze medals.
• 27 June - Tour de France begins.
• 7 July - French Grand Prix is won by Jacky Ickx in a Ferrari.
• 21 July - Tour de France ends, won by Jan Janssen of the Netherlands.
• 28 September - 29 September - In the 24 hours of Le Mans motor race, the team of Pedro Rodríguez and Lucien Bianchi wins driving a Ford GT-40.
• In horse racing, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is won by Vaguely Noble.
• Jean-Claude Killy is men's overall alpine skiing world champion.
• The French Tennis Open is won by Ken Rosewall (men) and Nancy Richey (women).
• AS Saint-Étienne won the football double of Ligue 1 and Coupe de France.

Births

January to March

• 3 January - Gérald Mossé, jockey.
• 9 January - Franck Dumas, soccer player, manager.
• 11 January - Philippe Cavoret, skeleton racer.
• 21 January - Sébastien Lifshitz, screenwriter and director.
• 22 January - Frank Leboeuf, international soccer player.
• 27 January - Patrick Blondeau, soccer player.
• 28 January - Mathilde Seigner, actress.
• 4 February - Éric Sikora, soccer player.
• 6 February - Patrick Lemarié, motor racing driver.
• 9 February - Pascal Chanteur, cyclist.
• 9 February - Frédéric Meyrieu, cyclist.
• 10 February - Stéphane Pounewatchy, soccer player, agent.
• 13 February - Fabrice Henry, soccer player.
• 17 February - Jérôme Gnako, soccer player.
• 25 February - Sandrine Kiberlain, actress.
• 28 February - Éric Le Chanony, bobsledder and Olympic medallist.
• 9 March - Youri Djorkaeff, international soccer player.
• 18 March - Eudes, duc d'Angoulême.
• 18 March - Christophe Pinna, karateka.
• 23 March - Pierre Palmade, actor and comedian.
• 26 March - Laurent Brochard, cyclist.
• 28 March - Alain Caveglia, soccer player.

April to June

• 3 April - Philippe Rombi, film score composer.
• 5 April - Serge Vaudenay, cryptographer.
• 7 April - Christophe Ohrel, soccer player.
• 9 April - Marie-Claire Restoux, judoka and Olympic gold medallist.
• 13 April - Jeanne Balibar, actress.
• 9 May - Marie-José Perec, athlete and Olympic gold medallist.
• 17 May - Constance Menard, dressage rider and equestrienne.
• 28 May - Pascal Pierre, soccer player.
• 4 June - Sandrine Fricot, high jumper.
• 6 June - Dominique Boeuf, jockey.

July to September

• 6 July - Sylvain Guillaume, nordic combined skier and Olympic medallist.
• 22 July - Thierry Brusseau, athlete.
• 23 July - Jean-Marc Chanelet, soccer player.
• 30 July - Gilles Maignan, cyclist.
• 3 August - Christophe Bordeau, swimmer and Olympic medallist.
• 5 August - Marine Le Pen, politician.
• 19 August - Philippe Kalt, soccer referee.
• 23 August - Franck Rolling, soccer player.
• 1 September - Franck Lagorce, motor racing driver.
• 3 September - Christophe Mengin, cyclist.
• 7 September - Marcel Desailly, soccer player.
• 10 September - Florence Devouard, former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation.
• 22 September - Pascal Fugier, soccer player.
• 23 September - Stéphane Mahé, soccer player, manager.
• 26 September - Frédéric Moncassin, cyclist.
• 30 September - Hervé Renard, soccer player, manager.

October to December

• 5 October - Alexandre de Betak, fashion and furniture designer.
• 5 October - Xavier Gravelaine, soccer player, manager.
• 6 October - Dominique A, songwriter and singer.
• 15 October - Didier Deschamps, soccer player.
• 28 October - François Simon, cyclist.
• 30 October - Emmanuelle Claret, biathlete.
• 9 November - Pascal Pons, percussionist.
• 27 November - Michael Vartan, actor.
• 30 November - Laurent Jalabert, cyclist.
• 8 December - Philippe Katerine, singer.
• 10 December - Denis Langlois, race walker.
• 11 December - Fabien Lévy, composer.
• 12 December - Rodolphe Gilbert, tennis player.
• 17 December - Fabrice Neaud, comic artist.
• 30 December - Fabrice Guy, nordic combined skier and Olympic gold medallist.

Full date unknown

• Jean-Pierre Danel, guitarist, record producer and composer.
• Marc Fleury, software designer.
• Christophe Godin, guitarist.
• Hervé Paillet, actor and painter.
• Stéphane Pompougnac, House DJ, musician, composer and producer.

Deaths

January to March

• 9 January - Louis Aubert, composer (b.1877).
• 18 January - Gribouille, singer (b.1941).
• 4 February - Jean Gachet, boxer and Olympic medallist (b.1894).
• 5 February - Paul Marie André Richaud, Cardinal (b.1887).
• 8 February - René Navarre, actor (b.1877).
• 14 February - Pierre Veuillot, Cardinal (b.1913).
• 6 March - Léon Mathot, actor and film director (b.1886).
• 17 March - Jules Basdevant, law professor (b.1877).
• 24 March - Alice Guy-Blaché, pioneer filmmaker, first female film director (b.1873).

April to June

• 15 May - Gilbert Gérintès, rugby union player (b.1902).
• 31 May - Abel Bonnard, poet, novelist and politician (b.1883).
• 31 May - Paul Marchandeau, politician and Minister (b.1882).
• 17 June - Adolphe Mouron Cassandre, painter, commercial poster artist and typeface designer (b.1901).
• 27 June - Léon Poirier, film director, screenwriter and film producer (b.1884).

July to September

• 8 July - Désiré Mérchez, swimmer, water polo player and Olympic medallist (b.1882).
• 21 July - Robert Péguy, film director (b.1883).
• 10 August - Gabriel Hanot, soccer player and journalist (b.1889).
• 14 August - Marcel Thil, world champion boxer (b.1904).
• 2 September - André Girard, painter, poster-maker and Resistance member (b.1901).
• 11 September - René Cogny, General (b.1904).
• 17 September - Armand Blanchonnet, cyclist and Olympic gold medallist (b.1903).
• September - Pierre Grany, athlete (b.1899).

October to December

• 2 October - Marcel Duchamp, artist (b.1887).
• 9 October - Jean Paulhan, writer, literary critic and publisher (b.1884).
• 25 October - Jean Schlumberger, writer and journalist (b.1877).
• 6 November - Charles Münch, conductor and violinist (b.1891).
• 11 November - Jeanne Demessieux, organist, pianist, composer and teacher (b.1921).
• 25 November - Marcel Labey, conductor and composer (b.1875).
• 28 November - Jean Delsarte, mathematician (b.1903).
• 3 December - Lucien Callamand, actor (b.1888).
• 7 December - Pierre Jaminet, cyclist (b.1912).

Full date unknown

• Jean Hyppolite, philosopher (b.1907).
• Jean-Julien Lemordant, artist and soldier (b.1882).
• Andre Prudhommeaux, anarchist bookstore owner (b.1902).