1959 in France

Incumbents

• President: Rene Coty, Charles de Gaulle
• Prime Minister: Charles de Gaulle, Michel Debré

  Events

• 8 January – Charles de Gaulle inaugurated as the first president of French Fifth Republic.
• 2 December – The Malpasset Dam collapses and floods the town of Fréjus, killing 412.

  Arts and literature

• 11 March – Eurovision Song Contest held in Cannes.
• 29 October – Astérix the Gaul makes a first appearance in the first regular issue of the comic magazine Pilote.

  Sport

• 25 June – 1959 Tour de France begins.
• 18 July – 1959 Tour de France ends, won by Federico Bahamontes of Spain, the first Spanish cyclist to win the Tour de France.

  Births

• 1 January – Michel Onfray, philosopher and author
• 7 February – Christine Angot, novelist and playwright
• 18 March – Luc Besson, film director, writer and producer
• 1 May – Yasmina Reza, playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter
• 11 May – Didier Guillaume, politician
• 14 May – Patrick Bruel, singer and actor
• 28 May – Steve Jeltz, baseball player
• 19 June – Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris
• 6 July – Richard Dacoury, basketball player
• 15 July
• * Christian Dornier, murderer
• * Vincent Lindon, actor and filmmaker
• 7 September – Pierre Nanterme, business executive
• 10 September – Philippe Pugnat, alpine skier
• 19 October – Marie-Luce Brasier-Clain, politician

  Deaths

• 21 January – Yves Le Febvre, writer and politician
• 17 April – Paul Dujardin, water polo player and Olympic medallist
• 5 May – Georges Grente, cardinal
• 14 May – Sidney Bechet, African American jazz saxophonist
• 15 May – Jeanne de Flandreysy, writer
• 22 June – Félix Guignot, physician
• 23 June – Boris Vian, writer, poet and musician
• 25 November
• * Jean Grémillon, film director
• * Gérard Philipe, actor