1978 in France explained

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 68.7e6USgal 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]
• unknown date – The Trâ Armânami Association of French Aromanians is founded.^[6]

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.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Creating the Chrysler Horizon: The Chrysler Europe Design Team speaks.
2. Web site: Renault | Auto Bob | Page 2 . 15 March 2013 . https://archive.today/20130410130110/http://www.auto-bob.com/zh/category/auto/renault/page/2/ . 10 April 2013 . dead .
3. Web site: Rootes-Chrysler.co.uk - covering Chrysler Europe, Rootes Group, and Talbot cars . 15 October 2010 . 23 November 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101123224853/http://www.rootes-chrysler.co.uk/simca-cars/simca-1000.html . dead .
4. Web site: Brittany Ferries Resume French Service in Year of 40th Anniversary. 2018-04-02. Jehan. Ashmore. Afloat. Ireland. 2020-02-08.
5. Web site: Development of the Chrysler - Talbot - Simca Horizon . 15 October 2010 . 3 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180804/http://www.rootes-chrysler.co.uk/car-development/dev-horizon.html . dead .
6. Rolul internetului în reconfigurarea și consolidarea comunității aromânilor. Nicoleta. Ciacu. Analele Universității "Dunărea de Jos" din Galați, Fascicula XX, Sociologie. 5. 1. 108. 2010. ro.
7. Web site: Didier Domi | Football Stats | No Club | Age 43 | 1996-2010 |website=Soccerbase] |publisher=Centurycomm Limited |access-date=21 August 2021}}
   • 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).
   • 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).

   Links

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