1881 in France

Events from the year 1881 in France.

Incumbents

13 February – First issue of the feminist newspaper La Citoyenne is published by Hubertine Auclert.
23 March – A fire caused by a gas explosion destroys the Opéra de Nice with fatalities.
April – Sixth Impressionist exhibition in Paris, at Nadar's studio.
12 May – Treaty of Bardo is signed between the French Republic and Tunisian bey Muhammed as-Sadiq. Tunisia becomes a French protectorate.
29 July – Law on the Freedom of the Press is passed.
15 August–15 November – International Exposition of Electricity staged in Paris. Among new developments demonstrated is Clément Ader's stereophonic théâtrophone.
13 October – Determined to bring about the revival of the Hebrew language as a way of unifying Jews, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda has what is believed to be the first conversation in Modern Hebrew, with friends living in Paris.

11 January – Lucien Rosengart, engineer
21 January – André Godard, archeologist and architect
19 February – Paul Tournon, architect
20 February – Julien Maitron, cyclist
21 February – Marc Boegner, theologist, pastor, French Resistance member and essayist
18 March – Paul Le Flem, composer and musician
23 March – Roger Martin du Gard, author, winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize for Literature
12 April – Élisée Maclet, painter
1 May - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, paleontologist, Jesuit priest
21 June – Camille Drevet, anti-colonialist, feminist and pacifist activist
27 June – Jérôme Carcopino, historian and author
29 July – Paul Couturier, priest and promoter of the concept of Christian unity
7 August – François Darlan, Admiral
10 October – Gaston Ragueneau, athlete and Olympic medallist
4 November – Gaby Deslys, dancer and actress
8 November – Robert Esnault-Pelterie, pioneering aircraft designer
5 December – René Cresté, actor and director
12 December - Louise Thuliez, resistance fighter in World War I and World War II