1968 in France

Incumbents

• President: Charles de Gaulle
• Prime Minister: Georges Pompidou, Maurice Couve de Murville

  Events

• 27 January – French submarine sinks in the Mediterranean with 52 men on board.
• 22 March – Daniel Cohn-Bendit and seven other students occupy Administrative offices of the University of Nanterre, setting in motion a chain of events that will lead France to the brink of revolution in May.
• 23 April – surgeons at the Hôpital de la Pitié, Paris, perform Europe's first heart transplant operation.
• May – student strike in May and June developed into widespread and unprecedented protests over poor working conditions and a rigid educational system, which threatened to bring down the government.
• 30 May – Georges Pompidou is returned as Prime Minister following general election, but – largely due to the widespread protests of May and June, it lasts for a mere 42 days before president Charles de Gaulle dismisses him and calls a new election.
• 23 June – Legislative Election held.
• 30 June – Legislative Election held.
• 10 July – In the second election, Maurice Couve de Murville is elected as Prime Minister.
• 24 August – France explodes its first hydrogen bomb, thus becoming the world's fifth nuclear power.
• 11 September – Air France Flight 1611 crashed into the Mediterranean off Nice, killing all 95 on board.
• 12 September – Launch of the Peugeot 504, successor the 404, available as a four-door five-seater saloon or five-door seven-seater estate, both with rear-wheel drive.
• The island of Moruroa in French Polynesia was used for French nuclear tests twice during the year leading to widespread protest from other Pacific nations.
• René Cassin wins the Nobel Prize for Peace.

  Arts and literature

• Singer Dalida releases the singles "Le Temps des Fleurs", "Je m'endors dans tes bras", and "Si j'avais des millions".

  Sport

• 6 February – 18 February – The 1968 Winter Olympics takes place in Grenoble. The host nation finishes third on the medal table with four gold, three silver, and two bronze medals.
• 27 June – Tour de France begins.
• 7 July – French Grand Prix is won by Jacky Ickx in a Ferrari.
• 21 July – Tour de France ends, won by Jan Janssen of the Netherlands.
• 28–29 September – In the 24 hours of Le Mans motor race, the team of Pedro Rodríguez and Lucien Bianchi wins driving a Ford GT-40.
• In horse racing, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is won by Vaguely Noble.
• Jean-Claude Killy is men's overall alpine skiing world champion.
• The French Tennis Open is won by Ken Rosewall and Nancy Richey.
• AS Saint-Étienne won the football double of Ligue 1 and Coupe de France.

  Births

January to March

• 3 January – Gérald Mossé, jockey.
• 9 January – Franck Dumas, soccer player, manager.
• 11 January – Philippe Cavoret, skeleton racer.
• 21 January – Sébastien Lifshitz, screenwriter and director.
• 22 January – Frank Leboeuf, international soccer player.
• 27 January – Patrick Blondeau, soccer player.
• 28 January – Mathilde Seigner, actress.
• 4 February – Éric Sikora, soccer player.
• 6 February – Patrick Lemarié, motor racing driver.
• 9 February – Pascal Chanteur, cyclist.
• 9 February – Frédéric Meyrieu, cyclist.
• 10 February – Stéphane Pounewatchy, soccer player, agent.
• 13 February – Fabrice Henry, soccer player.
• 17 February – Jérôme Gnako, soccer player.
• 25 February – Sandrine Kiberlain, actress.
• 28 February – Éric Le Chanony, bobsledder and Olympic medallist.
• 9 March – Youri Djorkaeff, international soccer player.
• 18 March – Eudes, duc d'Angoulême.
• 18 March – Christophe Pinna, karateka.
• 23 March – Pierre Palmade, actor and comedian.
• 26 March – Laurent Brochard, cyclist.
• 28 March – Alain Caveglia, soccer player.

  April to June

• 3 April – Philippe Rombi, film score composer.
• 5 April – Serge Vaudenay, cryptographer.
• 7 April – Christophe Ohrel, soccer player.
• 9 April – Marie-Claire Restoux, judoka and Olympic gold medallist.
• 13 April – Jeanne Balibar, actress.
• 9 May – Marie-José Pérec, athlete and Olympic gold medallist.
• 10 May – Thomas Coville, yachtsman.
• 17 May – Constance Menard, dressage rider and equestrienne.
• 28 May – Pascal Pierre, soccer player.
• 4 June – Sandrine Fricot, high jumper.
• 6 June – Dominique Boeuf, jockey.

  July to September

• 6 July – Sylvain Guillaume, nordic combined skier and Olympic medallist.
• 10 July – Frédéric Kuhn, hammer thrower.
• 22 July – Thierry Brusseau, athlete.
• 23 July – Jean-Marc Chanelet, soccer player.
• 30 July – Gilles Maignan, cyclist.
• 3 August – Christophe Bordeau, swimmer and Olympic medallist.
• 5 August – Marine Le Pen, politician.
• 23 August – Franck Rolling, soccer player.
• 1 September – Franck Lagorce, motor racing driver.
• 3 September – Christophe Mengin, cyclist.
• 7 September – Marcel Desailly, soccer player.
• 10 September – Florence Devouard, former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation.
• 22 September – Pascal Fugier, soccer player.
• 23 September – Stéphane Mahé, soccer player, manager.
• 26 September – Frédéric Moncassin, cyclist.
• 30 September – Hervé Renard, soccer player, manager.

  October to December

• 5 October – Alexandre de Betak, fashion and furniture designer.
• 5 October – Xavier Gravelaine, soccer player, manager.
• 6 October – Dominique A, songwriter and singer.
• 15 October – Didier Deschamps, soccer player.
• 28 October – François Simon, cyclist.
• 30 October – Emmanuelle Claret, biathlete.
• 9 November – Pascal Pons, percussionist.
• 27 November – Michael Vartan, actor.
• 30 November – Laurent Jalabert, cyclist.
• 8 December – Philippe Katerine, singer.
• 10 December – Denis Langlois, race walker.
• 11 December – Fabien Lévy, composer.
• 12 December – Rodolphe Gilbert, tennis player.
• 17 December – Fabrice Neaud, comic artist.
• 30 December – Fabrice Guy, nordic combined skier and Olympic gold medallist.

  Full date unknown

• Marc Fleury, software designer.
• Christophe Godin, guitarist.
• Hervé Paillet, actor and painter.
• Stéphane Pompougnac, House DJ, musician, composer and producer.

  Deaths

January to March

• 9 January – Louis Aubert, composer.
• 18 January – Gribouille, singer.
• 4 February – Jean Gachet, boxer and Olympic medallist.
• 5 February – Paul Marie André Richaud, Cardinal.
• 8 February – René Navarre, actor.
• 14 February – Pierre Veuillot, Cardinal.
• 6 March – Léon Mathot, actor and film director.
• 17 March – Jules Basdevant, law professor.
• 24 March – Alice Guy-Blaché, pioneer filmmaker, first female film director.

  April to June

• 15 May – Gilbert Gérintès, rugby union player.
• 31 May
• *Abel Bonnard, poet, novelist and politician.
• *Paul Marchandeau, politician and Minister.
• 11 June – Jean-Julien Lemordant, artist and soldier.
• 17 June – Adolphe Mouron Cassandre, painter, commercial poster artist and typeface designer.
• 27 June – Léon Poirier, film director, screenwriter and film producer.

  July to September

• 8 July – Désiré Mérchez, swimmer, water polo player and Olympic medallist.
• 21 July – Robert Péguy, film director.
• 10 August – Gabriel Hanot, soccer player and journalist.
• 14 August – Marcel Thil, world champion boxer.
• 2 September – André Girard, painter, poster-maker and Resistance member.
• 11 September – René Cogny, General.
• 17 September – Armand Blanchonnet, cyclist and Olympic gold medallist.
• September – Pierre Grany, athlete.

  October to December

• 2 October – Marcel Duchamp, artist.
• 9 October – Jean Paulhan, writer, literary critic and publisher.
• 25 October – Jean Schlumberger, writer and journalist.
• 6 November – Charles Münch, conductor and violinist.
• 11 November – Jeanne Demessieux, organist, pianist, composer and teacher.
• 25 November – Marcel Labey, conductor and composer.
• 28 November – Jean Delsarte, mathematician.
• 3 December – Lucien Callamand, actor.
• 7 December – Pierre Jaminet, cyclist.

  Full date unknown

• Jean Hyppolite, philosopher.
• André Prudhommeaux, anarchist bookstore owner.