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See also: 1978 in France, other events of 1979, 1980 in France.

Events from the year 1979 in France.

Events

• 8 January - French tanker Betelgeuse explodes at the Gulf Oil terminal at Bantry in Ireland; 50 are killed.
• 18 March - Cantonales elections held.
• 25 March - Cantonales elections held.
• 6 April-8 April - Metz Congress of the French Socialist Party.
• 9 July - A car bomb destroys a Renault owned by "Nazi hunters" Serge and Beate Klarsfeld at their home in France. A note purportedly from ODESSA claims responsibility.
• 20 September - French paratroopers help David Dacko to overthrow Bokassa in the Central African Republic.
• 16 October - A tsunami in Nice kills 23 people.
• 2 November - French police shoot dead gangster Jacques Mesrine in Paris.

Arts and literature

Sport

• 27 June - Tour de France begins.
• 22 July - Tour de France ends, won by Bernard Hinault.
• 6 December-9 December - World Judo Championships held in Paris.

Births

January to March

• 7 January - Christophe Guenot, wrestler and Olympic medallist.
• 12 January - Laurent Gagnier, soccer player.
• 13 January - Julien Baudet, soccer player.
• 17 January - Grégory Carmona, soccer player.
• 20 January - Jérôme Thomas, boxer.
• 21 January - Élodie Navarre, actress.
• 22 January - Stéphane Noro, soccer player.
• 1 February - Anne-Sophie Mondière, judoka.
• 2 February - Virginie Lagoutte, golfer.
• 7 February - Nicolas Dieuze, soccer player.
• 8 February - Lionel Cappone, soccer player.
• 14 February - Cédric Fauré, soccer player.
• 14 February - Audrey Dana, actress.
• 16 February - Stéphane Dalmat, soccer player.
• 28 February - Sébastien Bourdais, motor racing driver.
• 2 March - Damien Gregorini, soccer player.
• 6 March - Arnaud Maire, soccer player.
• 10 March - Laurent Quievreux, soccer player.
• 14 March - Nicolas Anelka, international soccer player.
• 14 March - Emmanuel Duchemin, soccer player.
• 15 March - Anthony Deroin, soccer player.
• 20 March - Christophe Lemaire, jockey.
• 20 March - Sébastien Mazure, soccer player.
• 20 March - Patrice Quarteron, kickboxer and martial artist.
• 21 March - Cyril Chapuis, soccer player.
• 22 March - Benoît Lecouls, rugby union player.
• 24 March - Philippe Gardent, rugby league player.
• 25 March - Pierre Planus, soccer player.
• 31 March - Matthieu Bochu, soccer player.

April to June

• 2 April - Salim Kéchiouche, actor.
• 2 April - Frédéric Lecanu, judoka.
• 4 April - Ludovic Roux, Nordic combined skier.
• 9 April - Olivier Sorlin, soccer player.
• 14 April - Guillaume Beuzelin, soccer player.
• 14 April - Noé Pamarot, soccer player.
• 21 April - Édouard Fillias, classical-liberal activist.
• 23 April - François Gonon, orienteering competitor.
• 23 April - Nicolas Portal, cyclist.
• 4 May - Marie Poissonnier, pole vaulter.
• 9 May - Éric Cubilier, soccer player.
• 14 May - Mickaël Landreau, soccer player.
• 19 May - Nicolas Figère, hammer thrower.
• 21 May - Gaspard Augé, musician.
• 4 June - Anthony Charteau, cyclist.
• 5 June - François Sagat, Model and pornographic actor.
• 9 June - Émilie Loit, tennis player.
• 12 June - Damien Traille, rugby union player.
• 16 June - Emmanuel Moire, singer.
• 25 June - Sébastien Joly, cyclist.
• 26 June - Christophe Humbert, judoka.
• 27 June - Benoît Poher, singer.
• 30 June - Sylvain Chavanel, cyclist.

July to September

• 1 July - Sylvain Calzati, cyclist.
• 3 July - Ludivine Sagnier, actress.
• 4 July - Anthony Basso, soccer player.
• 5 July - Amélie Mauresmo, tennis player.
• 6 July - Fabrice Abriel, soccer player.
• 6 July - Cédric Kanté, soccer player.
• 11 July - Éric Abidal, soccer player.
• 16 July - Rudy Bourguignon, decathlete.
• 18 July - Mélina Robert-Michon, discus thrower.
• 19 July - Yves Desmarets, soccer player.
• 24 July - Anne-Gaëlle Sidot, tennis player.
• 27 July - Sidney Govou, international soccer player.
• 27 July - Julien Poueys, soccer player.
• 8 August - Benjamin Boyet, rugby union player.
• 10 August - Rémy Martin, rugby union player.
• 11 August - Nicolas Seube, soccer player.
• 14 August - Jérémie Bréchet, soccer player.
• 14 August - Séverine Brémond, tennis player.
• 14 August - Renaud Guigue, rugby league player.
• 17 August - Julien Escudé, soccer player.
• 9 September - Freddy Bichot, cyclist.
• 10 September - Sébastien Grimaldi, soccer player.
• 19 September - Noémie Lenoir, model and actress.
• 24 September - Yvan Bourgis, soccer player.
• 25 September - Jean-René Lisnard, tennis player.
• 26 September - Jean-Baptiste Poux, rugby union player.

October to December

• 14 October - Olivier Bernard, soccer player.
• 14 October - Auriol Guillaume, soccer player.
• 18 October - Fabrice Levrat, soccer player.
• 27 October - Jean-Luc Delpech, cyclist.
• 1 November - Christophe Edaleine, cyclist.
• 8 November - Corinne Maîtrejean, foil fencer.
• 10 November - Anthony Réveillère, soccer player.
• 14 November - Cédric Hervé, cyclist.
• 15 November - François Masson, soccer player.
• 19 November - Boumedienne Allam, rugby union player.
• 24 December - Hervé Duclos-Lassalle, cyclist.
• 25 December - Laurent Bonnart, soccer player.

Full date unknown

• Eric Borel, spree killer (d.1995).
• Eric Bourdon, painter and writer.
• Christophe Dumaux, classical countertenor.
• Elise Fouin, designer.

Deaths

January to March

• 16 January - André Couder, optician and astronomer (b.1897).
• 18 January - Maurice Challe, General (b.1905).
• 26 January - Paul Amiot, actor (b.1886).
• 12 February - Jean Renoir, film director (b.1894).
• 9 March - Jean-Marie Villot, Cardinal (b.1905).
• 16 March - Jean Monnet, architect of European Unity (b.1888).
• 19 March - Pierre Schneiter, politician (b.1905).

April to June

• 1 April - Bruno Coquatrix, songwriter and music impresario (b.1910).
• 4 April - Joseph Alcazar, international soccer player (b.1911).
• 7 April - Marcel Jouhandeau, writer (b.1888).
• 12 May - Pierre Brunet, rower and Olympic medallist (b.1908).
• 28 June - Philippe Cousteau, oceanographer (b.1940).

July to September

• 3 July - Louis Durey, composer (b.1888).
• 5 July - Émile Dewoitine, aviation engineer and industrialist (b.1892).
• 15 July - Georges Jean Marie Darrieus, aeronautical engineer (b.1888).
• 27 August - Paul Coste-Floret, politician (b.1911).
• 2 September - Jacques Février, pianist (b.1900).
• 10 September - Charles Fauvel, aircraft designer (b.1904).
• 20 September - Pierre Goldman, left-wing intellectual, convicted of several robberies and assassinated (b.1944).
• 27 September - Pascal Pia, writer, journalist, illustrator and scholar (b.1903).

October to December

• 3 October - André Godinat, cyclist (b.1903).
• 10 October - Paul Paray, conductor, organist and composer (b.1886).
• 17 October - Pierre Bernac, baritone (b.1899).
• 22 October - Nadia Boulanger, composer and conductor (b.1887).
• 27 October - Germaine Lubin, soprano (b.1890).
• 29 October - Robert Boulin, politician (b.1920).
• 2 November - Jacques Mesrine, gangster (b.1936).
• 7 November - Christine Renard, writer (b.1929).
• 8 November - Yvonne de Gaulle, wife of Charles de Gaulle (b.1900).
• 26 November - Marcel L'Herbier, writer, producer and director of films (b. c1890).
• 4 December - Maurice Dorléac, actor (b.1901).

Full date unknown

• Jean Charlot, painter and illustrator (b.1898).
• Maryse Choisy, philosophical writer (b.1903).
• Lise Deharme, writer (b.1898).
• François Fontan, politician (b.1929).
• Émile Gagnan, engineer and inventor (b.1900).
• Albert Gilles, copper craftsman (b.1895).
• Gaston Heuet, athlete and Olympic medallist (b.1892).

References