1978 in France

← 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1978 in France → 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983
Decades:	1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
See also:	Other events in 1978 History of France  · Timeline  · Years

Events from the year 1978 in France .

Incumbents

• President: Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
• Prime Minister: Raymond Barre

Events

• February – Launch of the Horizon front-wheel drive hatchback by Chrysler Europe, which will be built in France as a Simca and sold in Britain as a Talbot. ^[1]
• 1 February – Hollywood film director Roman Polanski skips bail and flees to France, after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl.
• 12 March – Legislative Election held.
• 19 March – Legislative Election held.
• April – Launch of the Renault 18 saloon and estates, replacement for the Renault 12. ^[2]
• 4 May – Communist activist Henri Curiel is murdered in Paris.
• 10 May – Two years after buying Citroën, carmaker Peugeot makes another takeover by purchasing the European operations of American car giant Chrysler, owners of the French Simca and British Chrysler brands. ^[3]
• 16 May – Amoco Cadiz runs aground off the coast of Brittany, split in two and spilled 68.7 million US gallons (260,000 m³) of oil.
• 18–19 May – Belgian and French paratroopers fly to Zaire to aid the fight against the rebels.
• 27 May – Brittany Ferries inaugurate a regular service between Roscoff and Cork in the Republic of Ireland. ^[4]
• 26 June – Bombing by Breton nationalists causes destruction in Palace of Versailles.
• December – The Simca Horizon is voted European Car of the Year. ^[5]
• 31 December – Disappearance of Danielle Judic. ^[6]
• unknown date – The Trâ Armânami Association of French Aromanians is founded. ^[7]

Births

January to March

• 5 January – Franck Montagny, motor racing driver.
• 6 January – Renaud Dion, cyclist.
• 11 January – Stéphane Morisot, soccer player.
• 14 January – Éric Sitruk, soccer player.
• 17 January
  • Stéphane Pasquier, jockey.
  • Aboubacar Sankhare, soccer player.
• 21 January – David Coulibaly, soccer player.
• 30 January – Sébastien Sansoni, soccer player.
• 7 February – Nicolas Ardouin, soccer player.
• 8 February – Loïc Jean-Albert, parachuter.
• 11 February – Aurélien Cologni, rugby league player.
• 16 February – Nicolas Florentin, soccer player.
• 26 February – Stéphane Bonnes, soccer player.
• 28 February – Jeanne Cherhal, singer-songwriter
• 5 March – Stéphane Martine, soccer player.
• 13 March – Faustine Merret, windsurfer and Olympic gold medallist.
• 22 March – Arnaud Le Lan, soccer player.
• 26 March – Cédric Mouret, soccer player.
• 27 March – Amélie Cocheteux, tennis player.
• 28 March – Fabien Audard, soccer player.
• 30 March – Édouard Cissé, soccer player.
• 31 March – Jérôme Rothen, international soccer player.

April to June

• 5 April – Boussad Houche, soccer player.
• 5 April – Arnaud Tournant, cyclist.
• 8 April – Mathieu Assou-Ekotto, soccer player.
• 11 April – David Ducourtioux, soccer player.
• 2 May – Didier Domi, soccer player. ^[8]
• 5 May – Bruno Cheyrou, soccer player.
• 6 May – Tony Estanguet, canoeist
• 11 May – Laetitia Casta, supermodel and actress.
• 15 May – Sébastien Chabbert, soccer player.
• 15 May – Yohan Demont, soccer player.
• 27 May – Jacques Abardonado, soccer player.
• 29 May – Sébastien Grosjean, tennis player.
• 2 June – Nicolas Bal, Nordic combined skier and Olympic medallist.
• 6 June – Faudel, singer.
• 11 June – Julien Rodriguez, soccer player.
• 15 June – Jérôme Moïso, basketball player.
• 17 June – Isabelle Delobel, ice dancer.
• 17 June – Véronique Delobel, ice dancer.
• 23 June – Frédéric Leclercq, bassist.
• 28 June – Clarisse Albrecht, singer-songwriter, actress and former model

July to September

• 17 July – Émilie Simon, singer and composer.
• 18 July – Mélissa Theuriau, journalist and news anchor.
• 20 July – Cédric Heymans, rugby union player.
• 26 July – Matthieu Bataille, judoka.
• 28 July – Yannick Jauzion, rugby union player.
• 29 July – Julien Laharrague, rugby union player.
• 4 August – Emmanuelle Boidron, actress.
• 7 August – Alexandre Aja, film director.
• 8 August – Louis Saha, association football player
• 9 August – Audrey Tautou, actress.
• 14 August – Pascal Delhommeau, soccer player.
• 19 August – François Modesto, soccer player.
• 19 August – Sebastien Tortelli, twice World Champion motocross racer.
• 27 August – Franck Queudrue, soccer player.
• 29 August – Yves Deroff, soccer player.
• 31 August – Philippe Christanval, soccer player.
• 1 September – Coralie Clément, singer.
• 9 September – Alioune Touré, soccer player.
• 11 September – Laurent Courtois, soccer player.
• 13 September – Sonia Huguet, cyclist.
• 20 September – Julien Bonnaire, rugby union player.
• 23 September – Frédéric Daquin, soccer player.
• 23 September – Ingrid Jacquemod, alpine skier.
• 27 September – Jean-Joël Perrier-Doumbé, soccer player.

October to December

• 5 October – Fabien Boudarène, soccer player.
• 29 October – Jérôme Guisset, rugby league player.
• 22 November – Mélanie Doutey, actress.
• 28 November – Denis Flahaut, cyclist.
• 7 December – Jean Bouilhou, rugby union player.
• 10 December – Grégory Proment, soccer player.
• 11 December – Eric Borel, spree killer (died 1995).
• 16 December – Sylvain Distin, soccer player.

Full date unknown

• Valérie Crunchant, actress.
• Damien Luce, pianist.

Deaths

January to April

• 8 January – André François-Poncet, politician and diplomat (born 1887).
• 16 January – Jean Gounot, gymnast and Olympic medallist (born 1894).
• 22 January – Léon Damas, poet and politician (born 1912).
• 24 January – Georges Perros, writer (born 1923).
• 31 January – Marie-Louise Damien, singer and actress (born 1889).
• 24 February – Georges Bénézé, philosopher (born 1888).
• 2 March – Alix Combelle, swing jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist and bandleader (born 1912).
• 11 March – Hélène Bouvier, operatic mezzo-soprano (born 1905).
• 11 March – Claude François, singer and songwriter (born 1939).
• 15 March – Jacques Forestier, rheumatologist (born 1890).
• 18 March – François Duprat, negationist writer (born 1941).
• 19 March – Gaston Julia, mathematician (born 1893).
• 20 March – Jacques Brugnon, tennis player (born 1895).
• 23 April – Jacques Rueff, economist and adviser to the French Government (born 1896).
• 29 April – Robert Debré, physician (born 1882).

May to December

• 4 May – Henri Curiel, political activist, assassinated (born 1914).
• 14 May – Henri Chapron, automobile coachbuilder (born 1886).
• 24 June – Robert Charroux, writer (born 1909).
• 14 July – Gaston Ragueneau, athlete and Olympic medallist (born 1881).
• 22 July – André Chapelon, mechanical engineer and designer of steam locomotives (born 1892).
• 23 July – Danielle Collobert, author, poet and journalist (born 1940).
• 25 August – Olivier Hussenot, actor (born 1913).
• 26 August – Charles Boyer, actor (born 1899).
• 6 September – Max Décugis, tennis player (born 1882).
• 8 September – Jean Nicolas, international soccer player (born 1913).
• 19 September – Étienne Gilson, Thomistic philosopher and historian of philosophy (born 1884).
• 16 November – Claude Dauphin, actor (born 1903).
• 5 December – Bernard Faÿ, historian (born 1893).
• 21 December – Roger Caillois, writer and intellectual (born 1913).

Full date unknown

• Camille Le Mercier d'Erm, poet, historian and Breton nationalist (born 1888).

References

1. "Creating the Chrysler Horizon: The Chrysler Europe Design Team speaks".
2. "Renault | Auto Bob | Page 2". Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
3. "Rootes-Chrysler.co.uk - covering Chrysler Europe, Rootes Group, and Talbot cars". Archived from the original on 23 November 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
4. Ashmore, Jehan (2 April 2018). "Brittany Ferries Resume French Service in Year of 40th Anniversary". Afloat. Ireland. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
5. "Development of the Chrysler - Talbot - Simca Horizon". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
6. "Retour sur la disparue de Belle-île-en-mer". www.rtl.fr (in French). 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
7. Ciacu, Nicoleta (2010). "Rolul internetului în reconfigurarea și consolidarea comunității aromânilor". Analele Universității "Dunărea de Jos" din Galați, Fascicula XX, Sociologie (in Romanian). 5 (1): 108.
8. "Didier Domi | Football Stats | No Club | Age 43 | 1996-2010". Soccerbase . Centurycomm Limited. Retrieved 21 August 2021.

Links

Media related to 1978 in France at Wikimedia Commons