1962 in France

Events from the year 1962 in France.

Incumbents

Events

15 January – Designer Yves Saint Laurent launches his own fashion house.
3 February – Liner SS France begins her maiden voyage with the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique to New York.
5 February – President Charles de Gaulle calls for Algeria to be granted independence.
8 February – Charonne (Paris Métro) Massacre.
18 March – Evian agreements are signed by France and the F.L.N. ending the Algerian War.
19 March – Formal cease-fire comes into operation following Evian Accords, however, the OAS continues its terrorist attacks against Algerians.
24 March – OAS leader Edmond Jouahud is arrested in Oran.
26 March – France shortens the term for military service from 26 months to 18.
8 April – Évian Accords referendum held and adopted with a majority of 90%.
13 April – OAS leader Edmond Jouhaud is sentenced to death.
20 April – OAS leader Raoul Salan is arrested in Algiers.
2 May – An OAS bomb explodes in Algeria – this and other attacks kill 110 and injure 147.
23 May – Raoul Salan, founder of the Organisation armée secrète, is sentenced to life imprisonment.
29 May – Negotiations between the OAS and the FLA lead to a real armistice in Algeria.
3 June – Air France charter flight Chateau de Sully, a Boeing 707, over-runs the runway at Orly Airport in Paris; 130 of 132 passengers are killed, two flight attendants survive.
17 June – The OAS signs a truce with the FLN in Algeria, but a day later announces that it will continue the fight on behalf of French Algerians.
22 June – An Air France Boeing 707 jet crashes into terrain during bad weather in Guadeloupe, West Indies, killing all 113 on board.
30 June – The last soldiers of the French Foreign Legion leave Algeria.
1 July – Supporters of Algerian independence win 99% majority in a referendum.
2 July – Charles de Gaulle accepts Algerian independence; France recognizes it the next day.
5 July – Algeria becomes independent from France.
5 July – Oran massacre takes place in Algeria.
20 July – France and Tunisia reestablish diplomatic relations.
31 July – Algeria proclaims independence.
22 August – Petit-Clamart attack: An assassination attempt is made against President Charles de Gaulle by machine-gunning his car in the Paris suburbs. The mastermind, Jean Bastien-Thiry, will later be executed.
5 October – The French National Assembly censures the proposed referendum to sanction presidential elections by popular mandate; Prime Minister Georges Pompidou resigns, but President de Gaulle asks him to stay in office.
28 October – Presidential Election Referendum held, favours the election of the president by universal suffrage.
18 November – Legislative Election held.
25 November – Legislative Election held.
27 November – President Charles De Gaulle orders Georges Pompidou to form a government.
29 November – An agreement is signed between Britain and France to develop the Concorde supersonic airliner.
Around 20,000 Harkis, indigenous Muslim Algerians who fought as auxiliary soldiers on the French side in the Algerian War, with their families flee Algeria for metropolitan France fearing unofficial reprisals in their home country.

Arts and literature

18 March – "Un premier amour" by Isabelle Aubret wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1962 for France.

Sport

24 June-15 July – Tour de France, won by Jacques Anquetil.

Births

January to March

8 January – Nelly Viennot, soccer referee
21 January -
*Isabelle Nanty, actress
*Marie Trintignant, actress
25 January – Bruno Martini, soccer player
28 January – Philippe Vercruysse, international soccer player
1 February – Manuel Amoros, international soccer player
2 February – Philippe Claudel, writer
10 February – Yves Tavernier, alpine skier
13 February – Claudine Emonet, alpine skier
14 February
*Philippe Sella, international rugby union player
*Thierry Toutain, race walker
17 February – Walter Ciofani, hammer thrower
20 February – Pierre Quinon, pole vaulter and Olympic gold medallist
22 February – Olivier Latry, organist, improviser and Professor of Organ
7 March – Pascale Sourisse, businesswoman
8 March – Isabelle Pasquet, politician
18 March – Vincent Barteau, cyclist
21 March – Gilles Lalay, motorcycle enduro and rally raid competitor
25 March – Pierre Morice, soccer player

April to June

2 April – Pierre Carles, documentarist
2 May -
*Jean-François Bernard, cyclist
*Alexandra Boulat, photographer
28 May – François-Henri Pinault, businessman
31 May – Philippe Gache, motor racing driver
7 June – Thierry Hazard, singer
12 June – Philippe Tibeuf, soccer player
June – Pascal Riché, journalist

July to September

3 July – Philippe Verneret, alpine skier
22 July -
*Jacques Glassmann, soccer player
*Jean-Claude Leclercq, cyclist
23 July – Alain Lefèvre, pianist and composer
28 July – Emmanuelle Jouannet, international law professor
6 August – Marc Lavoine, singer and actor
7 August – Alain Robert, rock and urban climber
15 August – Paul Henderson, Australian politician and Chief Minister of the Northern Territory
19 August – Valérie Kaprisky, actress
27 August – Fabrice Poullain, soccer player
30 August – François Delecour, rally driver
11 September – Pierre Huyghe, artist
20 September – Jean-Louis Garcia, soccer player
25 September – Juliette Noureddine, singer, songwriter and composer
27 September – Christelle Guignard, alpine skier

October to December

4 October – Jean-Luc Sassus, soccer player
13 October – Valérie Létard, politician
15 October – Guy Georges, serial killer
17 October – Yvon Pouliquen, soccer manager, former player
22 October – Laurent Paganelli, journalist, former soccer player
24 October – Yves Bertucci, soccer manager
30 October – Arnaud Montebourg, politician
2 November – Mireille Delunsch, opera soprano
2 November – Marcellin Nadeau, Member of Parliament
11 November – Thierry Goudet, soccer manager, former player
13 November – Lydia Gouardo, rape victim
23 November – Philippe Renaud, canoer and Olympic medallist
6 December – Claude Chirac, younger daughter of French president Jacques Chirac
7 December – Alain Blondel, decathlete
17 December – Christophe Hondelatte, television and radio host
26 December – Jean-Marc Ferreri, international soccer player
28 December – Michel Petrucciani, jazz pianist

Full date unknown

Luc Delahaye, photographer
Philippe Goitschel, skier and Olympic medallist
Martin Matje, illustrator
Dominique Moulon, historian of art and technology

Deaths

January to March

8 January – Roger Ducret, fencer and Olympic gold medallist
21 January – Georges Gimel, painter
24 January – André Lhote, sculptor and painter
29 January – Louis Gernet, philologist and sociologist
4 February -
*Charles Basle, American auto racer
*Daniel Halévy, historian
5 February – Jacques Ibert, composer
19 February – Émile Armand, individualist anarchist
3 March – Pierre Benoit, novelist
6 March – René Laforgue, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst

April to June

1 April – Jules Boucherit, violinist and teacher
10 April – Lucienne Delyle, singer
17 April – Pierre Larquey, actor
4 May – Cécile Vogt-Mugnier, neurologist
23 May – Louis Coatalen, automobile engineer
1 June – Joseph Darnand, Bishop
5 June – Jacques Gréber, architect
6 June – Yves Klein, artist
8 June – Eugène Freyssinet, structural and civil engineer

July to September

1 July – Edgard de Larminat, General
8 July – Georges Bataille, writer
18 July – Eugene Houdry, mechanical engineer
25 July – Paul Aymé, tennis player
18 August – Lucien Berland, entomologist and arachnologist
19 August – Jean Lucienbonnet, motor racing driver
22 August – Charles Rigoulot, weightlifter, professional wrestler, race car driver and actor
23 August – Élisée Maclet, painter
August – Léon Binoche, rugby union player
21 September – Princess Marie Bonaparte, psychoanalyst
24 September – Félix Goethals, cyclist
28 September – Roger Nimier, novelist

October to December

2 October – Madeleine Fournier-Sarlovèze, golfer
7 October – Henri Oreiller, alpine skier and Olympic gold medallist
14 October – Jacques Majorelle, painter
16 October – Gaston Bachelard, philosopher
17 October – Natalia Goncharova, Russian-born avant-garde artist
30 October – Yvette Andréyor, actress
31 October -
*Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion, astronomer
*Louis Massignon, scholar of Islam and its history
20 November -
*Henri Déricourt, pilot and accused double agent
*Philippe Kieffer, Naval officer
22 November – René Coty, politician, President of France
26 November – Albert Sarraut, politician, twice Prime Minister of France
13 December – Daisy Fellowes, society figure, writer and heiress
19 December – Jean-Marie Charles Abrial, admiral and minister

Full date unknown

Jacques Maroger, painter