1968 in France
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See also: 1967 in France, other events of 1968, 1969 in France.
Events from the year 1968 in France
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[edit] 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.
[edit] Arts and literature
- Singer Dalida releases the singles "Le Temps des Fleurs", "Je m'endors dans tes bras", and"Si j'avais des millions".
[edit] 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.
[edit] Births
- 25 February - Sandrine Kiberlain, actress.
- 9 May - Marie-José Perec, athlete.
- 7 September - Marcel Desailly, former soccer player.
- 15 October - Didier Deschamps, former soccer player.
- 27 November - Michael Vartan, actor.
[edit] Deaths
- 18 January - Gribouille, singer (b.1941).
- 19 June - Adolphe Mouron Cassandre, painter (b.1901).
- 14 August - Marcel Thil, world champion boxer (b.1904).
- 2 October - Marcel Duchamp, artist (b.1887).
- 6 November - Charles Münch, conductor and violinist (b.1891).
[edit] Full date unknown
- Jean Hyppolite, philosopher (b.1907).
