1955 in France

Incumbents

• President: Rene Coty
• President of the Council of Ministers:
• * until 17 February: Pierre Mendès France
• * 17 February-23 February: Christian Pineau
• * starting 23 February: Edgar Faure

Events

• 28 March – SNCF sets a new world rail speed record of 331 km/h using electric traction.
• 5 May – Bonn–Paris conventions come into force, putting an end to the Allied occupation of West Germany.
• 11 June – 1955 Le Mans disaster. Driver Pierre Levegh and 82 spectators killed in a crash during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
• 28 July – The first Interlingua congress in Tours, France, leads to the founding of the Union Mundial pro Interlingua.
• 28 August – Murder of Janet Marshall.
• 6 October – The Citroen DS, a large saloon car, is launched at the Paris Motor Show.

Arts and literature

• 25 June – Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, designed by Le Corbusier, is dedicated.
• 15 September – Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is published in Paris by Olympia Press.

Sport

• 7 July – Tour de France begins.
• 30 July – Tour de France ends, won by Louison Bobet.

Births

• 28 January
• *Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France
• *Chantal Sébire, teacher and euthanasia campaigner
• 24 February – Alain Prost, motor racing driver
• 4 March – Dominique Pinon, actor
• 9 March – Jean-Luc Arribart, soccer player
• 17 March – Élie Baup, soccer player and manager
• 21 June – Michel Platini, soccer player
• 27 June – Isabelle Adjani, actress
• 2 August – Anne Lacaton, architect
• 7 August – Chantal Réga, athlete
• 8 September – Olivia Dutron, actress
• 17 September – Olivier Chandon de Brailles, motor racing driver
• 7 October – Yo-Yo Ma, cellist
• 14 December – Hervé Guibert, writer

Deaths

• 15 January – Yves Tanguy, surrealist painter
• 23 February – Paul Claudel, poet, dramatist and diplomat
• 22 March – Maurice Schutz, actor
• 19 June – Adrienne Monnier, poet and publisher
• 5 November – Maurice Utrillo, painter
• 27 November – Arthur Honegger, composer