1996 in France

Events from the year 1996 in France.

Incumbents

President – Jacques Chirac
Prime Minister – Alain Juppé

Events

8 January – Former president of France and founder of the Socialist Party of France, François Mitterrand, dies.
29 January – President Jacques Chirac announces a "definitive end" to French nuclear testing.
5 May – A fire in Paris destroys much of Crédit Lyonnais bank's headquarters.
23 May – Members of the Armed Islamic Group in Algeria kill seven French Trappist monks, after talks with French government concerning the imprisonment of several GIA sympathisers break down.
27 – 29 June – 22nd G7 summit takes place in Lyon.
8 October – Launch of Renault Mégane Scénic, a five-seater mini MPV based on the floorpan of the standard Mégane hatchback.
18 November – Channel Tunnel fire on a truck being carried on an HGV shuttle.
Full date unknown:
* Tennis Elbow video game is released in November 1996.

Arts and literature

26th January - 24th March 1996 The Traffic (art exhibition) was on show CAPC Musée d'art Contemporain de Bordeaux
La Dernière Fête produced by Pierre Granier-Deferre was released

Sport

29 June – Tour de France begins.
30 June – French Grand Prix won by Damon Hill of the United Kingdom.
21 July – Tour de France ends, won by Bjarne Riis of Denmark.

Births

7 February – Pierre Gasly, racing driver
8 February – Lys Mousset, footballer
26 February – Bertille Noël-Bruneau, actress.
21 March – Adam Ellis, grasstrack and speedway rider.
26 April – Laurine Lecavelier, figure skater.
9 May – Caroline Costa, singer and TV presenter.
13 June – Kingsley Coman, footballer.
21 June – Léa Lemare, ski jumper.
29 June – Estelle Elizabeth, ice dancer.
14 August – Neal Maupay, footballer.
15 August – Bahia Bakari, survivor of Yemenia Flight 626.
27 August – Estel-Anaïs Hubaud, competitor.
17 September – Esteban Ocon, racing driver
20 September – Anaïs Ventard, figure skater.
22 September – Anthoine Hubert, racing driver
27 September – Maxwel Cornet, footballer
12 December – Mathéo Tuscher, Swiss-born racing driver.
17 December – Anne Kuhm, gymnast.

Deaths

January

8 January – François Mitterrand, President of France from 1981 to 1995.
15 January – Max Varnel, film and television director.

February

6 February – Jacques Wertheimer, businessman.
11 February – Pierre Edouard Leopold Verger, photographer and ethnographer.
14 February – Louis Finot, international soccer player.
17 February – Hervé Bazin, writer.

March

2 March – Célestin Delmer, international soccer player.
3 March – Marguerite Duras, writer and film director.
3 March – Léo Malet, novelist.
17 March – René Clément, screenwriter and film director.
20 March – Claude Bourdet, writer, journalist and politician.
22 March – Claude Mauriac, author and journalist.
24 March – Jean-Claude Piumi, soccer player.
29 March – Christophe Caze, terrorist.

April to June

21 April – Robert Hersant, newspaper magnate.
29 April – François Picard, motor racing driver.
25 May – Barney Wilen, saxophonist and jazz composer.
30 May – Léon-Etienne Duval, cardinal.
15 June – Raymond Salles, rower.
15 June – Yvonne Vallée, actress.

July to September

17 July – Paul Touvier, convicted of crime against humanity for his Collaborationist role during Vichy France.
29 July – Marcel-Paul Schützenberger, mathematician.
2 August – Michel Debré, politician and first Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic.
4 August – André Trochut, cyclist.
30 August – Christine Pascal, actress, writer and director.

October to December

11 October – Pierre Grimal, historian and classicist.
12 October – René Lacoste, tennis player.
12 October – Roger Lapébie, cyclist, won the 1937 Tour de France.
15 October – Pierre Franey, chef and food writer.
17 October – Jean-Pierre Munch, cyclist.
26 October – Henri Lepage, fencer.
31 October – Marcel Carné, film director.
3 December – Georges Duby, historian.
3 December – Jean Tabaud, artist.
9 December – Alain Poher, politician.
11 December – Marie-Claude Vaillant-Couturier, member of the French Resistance.
21 December – Alfred Tonello, cyclist.
25 December – Roger Duchesne, actor.
25 December – Gabriel Loire, stained glass artist.
29 December – Mireille Hartuch, singer, composer and actress.

Full date unknown

André-Georges Haudricourt, anthropologist and linguist.