1966 in France

Incumbents

• President: Charles de Gaulle
• Prime Minister: Georges Pompidou

  Events

• 4 January - A gas leak fire at the Feyzin oil refinery near Lyon, kills 18 and injures 84.
• 10 January - L'Express publishes a story of Georges Figon, who took part in the kidnapping of Mehdi Ben Barka.
• 18 January - Police announce that Georges Figon committed suicide, prior to his arrest for the kidnapping of Mehdi Ben Barka.
• 7 March - Charles De Gaulle asks U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson for negotiations about the state of NATO equipment in France.
• 11 March - President Charles De Gaulle states that French troops will be taken out of NATO and that all French NATO bases and HQ's must be closed within a year.
• 17 June - An Air France personnel strike begins.
• 20 June - President Charles De Gaulle starts visit to the Soviet Union.
• 30 June - France formally leaves NATO.
• 26 August - Riots occur in French Somaliland.
• 30 August - France offers independence to French Somaliland.
• 11 October - France and the Soviet Union sign a treaty for cooperation in nuclear research.
• 26 October - NATO moves its HQ from Paris to Brussels.

  Arts and literature

Sport

• 21 June - Tour de France begins.
• 14 July - Tour de France ends, won by Lucien Aimar.

  Births

January to March

• 17 January - Jean-Pierre Delaunay, soccer player and coach.
• 24 January - Julie Dreyfus, actress.
• 1 February - Laurent Garnier, techno music producer and DJ.
• 3 February - Jean-Jacques Eydelie, soccer player.
• 4 February - Guillaume Dasquié, journalist and writer.
• 28 February - Eric Dubus, athlete.
• 29 March - Stéphane Bré, soccer referee.

  April to June

• 3 April - Rémi Garde, soccer player and coach.
• 19 April - Véronique Gens, soprano.
• 24 April - Pascale Paradis, tennis player.
• 26 April - Jean-Christophe Jeauffre, explorer, filmmaker and producer.
• 28 April - Jean-Luc Crétier, alpine skier and Olympic gold medallist.
• 11 May - Estelle Lefébure, supermodel.
• 14 May - Marianne Denicourt, actress.
• 17 May - Gilles Quénéhervé, athlete and Olympic medallist.
• 24 May - Eric Cantona, soccer player.
• 29 May - Natalie Nougayrède, journalist.
• 30 May - Frédéric Hantz, soccer manager.
• 14 June
• *Thierry Bonalair, soccer player.
• *Béatrice Mouthon, triathlete.
• *Isabelle Mouthon-Michellys, triathlete.
• 16 June
• *Patrice Killoffer, comics illustrator and writer.
• *Stéphane Traineau, judoka and Olympic medallist.
• 18 June - Catherine Fleury-Vachon, judoka and Olympic gold medallist.
• 22 June - Emmanuelle Seigner, actress.

  July to September

• 1 July - Stéphan Caron, swimmer and Olympic medallist.
• 5 July - Laurence Ferrari, journalist.
• 8 July - Jean-Philippe Jodard, beach volleyball player.
• 15 July - Irène Jacob, actress.
• 4 August - Luc Leblanc, cyclist.
• 5 August - Gilles Delion, cyclist.
• 13 August - Pascal Lino, cyclist.
• 28 August - Christophe Galtier, soccer player.
• 31 August - Thierry Champion, tennis player.
• 2 September - Olivier Panis, motor racing driver.
• 3 September - Angelo Hugues, soccer player.
• 4 September - Biréli Lagrène, guitarist and bassist.
• 24 September - Christophe Bouchut, motor racing driver.
• 29 September - Laurent Chambertin, volleyball player.

  October to December

• 10 October - Laurent Duhamel, soccer referee.
• 18 October - Thierry Lamberton, ice speed skater.
• 25 October - Lionel Charbonnier, soccer player.
• 6 November - Laurent Lafforgue, mathematician.
• 17 November - Sophie Marceau, actress.
• 19 November - Dominique Arnould, cyclist.
• 23 November - Vincent Cassel, actor.
• 30 November - Philippe Bozon, ice hockey player.
• 10 December - Benjamin Clément, soccer player.
• 20 December - Hélène Rollès, actress and singer.
• 29 December
• *Laurent Boudouani, boxer and Olympic medallist.
• *Patrice Rognon, judoka and Olympic medallist.

  Full date unknown

• Jean-Pascal Beintus, composer.
• Catherine Dufour, writer.

  Deaths

January to March

• 1 January - Vincent Auriol, politician, President of France.
• 4 January - Marcel Tabuteau, oboist.
• 6 January - Jean Lurçat, painter and tapestry designer.
• 22 January - Jean Galtier-Boissière, writer, polemist and journalist.
• 11 March - Jean Laigret, biologist.
• 16 March - Jean Neuberth, abstract painter.
• 31 March - Andre Richaume, archetier/bowmaker.

  April to June

• 13 April - Georges Duhamel, author.
• 4 May - Amédée Ozenfant, cubist painter.
• 24 May - Henri Barbé, communist.
• 7 June - Jean Arp, sculptor, painter, poet and abstract artist.
• 13 June - Pierre Chaumié, politician.
• 19 June - Pierre Montet, Egyptologist.
• 26 June - Francois Dupre, hotelier, art collector and horse breeder.

  July to September

• 14 July - Julie Manet, painter and art collector.
• 29 July - André Spire, poet, writer, and Zionist activist.
• 17 August - François Piétri, politician, Minister and diplomat.
• 18 August - Louis Renou, indologist.
• 14 September - Alexandre Bioussa, rugby union player.
• 21 September - Paul Reynaud, politician and lawyer.
• 28 September - André Breton, writer, poet, and surrealist theorist.

  October to December

• 6 October - Pierre Couderc, screenwriter, actor, acrobat and film producer.
• 8 October - Célestin Freinet, pedagogue, and educational reformer.
• 10 October
• *Robert Desoille, psychotherapist.
• *Louise Thuliez, resistance fighter in World War I and World War II
• 17 October - Cléo de Mérode, dancer.
• 28 October - Robert Charpentier, cyclist and Olympic gold medallist.

  Full date unknown

• Charles Catteau, industrial designer.
• Frédéric Justin Collet, pathologist and otolaryngologist.
• Louis Couffignal, mathematician and cybernetics pioneer.
• Edmond Locard, pioneer in forensic science.