1981 in France

Incumbents

• President: Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, François Mitterrand
• Prime Minister: Raymond Barre, Pierre Mauroy

  Events

• 24 April – French presidential election: A first-round runoff results between Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and François Mitterrand.
• 10 May – Presidential Election won by François Mitterrand.
• 21 May – François Mitterrand becomes the first socialist President of the French Fifth Republic.
• 14 June – Legislative Election held.
• 21 June – Legislative Election held.
• September – Launch of the Renault 9, a small-four door family saloon with front-wheel drive which falls into the Renault range between the R14 and R18 model ranges. It will share a floorpan with a new hatchback model to replace the R14 from early 1983.
• 18 September – France abolishes capital punishment, four years after its final execution.
• 27 September – TGV high speed rail service between Paris and Lyon begins.
• December - The Renault 9 is voted European Car of the Year.
• 1 December – Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308 McDonnell Douglas MD-81 crashes into mountains in Corsica, killing 173 passengers and 7 crew.

  Births

January to March

• 4 January – Jean-Baptiste Paternotte, soccer player.
• 5 January – Sébastien Duthier, soccer player.
• 8 January – Mathieu Jost, ice dancer.
• 14 January – Myriam Baverel, taekwondo practitioner and Olympic medallist.
• 17 January – Thierry Ascione, tennis player.
• 17 January – Christophe Riblon, cyclist.
• 19 January – Mathieu Maton, soccer player.
• 21 January – Florent Lacasse, athlete.
• 26 January – Edwin Ouon, soccer player.
• 1 February – David Martot, soccer player.
• 8 February – Bertrand Grospellier, pro gamer and poker player.
• 15 February – Nicolas Rostoucher, swimmer.
• 20 February – Nicolas Penneteau, soccer player.
• 26 February – Jean-Pascal Mignot, soccer player.
• 28 February
• *Nicolas Puydebois, soccer player.
• *Florent Serra, tennis player
• 8 March – Laurent Pichon, soccer player.
• 16 March – Julien Mazet, cyclist.
• 18 March – Maxime Grésèque, rugby league player.
• 20 March – Sylvain Monsoreau, soccer player.
• 21 March – Sébastien Chavanel, cyclist.

  April to June

• 6 April – Sébastien Grégori, soccer player.
• 13 April – Hassan Ahamada, soccer player.
• 16 April – Olivier Sorin, soccer player.
• 23 April – Vincent Bernardet, soccer player.
• 26 April – Matthieu Delpierre, soccer player.
• 2 May – Sébastien Maillard, athlete.
• 3 May – Benoît Cheyrou, soccer player.
• 7 May – Vincent Clerc, international rugby union player.
• 9 May – Ludwig Briand, actor.
• 9 May – Florine De Leymarie, Alpine skier.
• 13 May – Jonathan Joseph-Augustin, soccer player.
• 15 May – Patrice Evra, international soccer player.
• 22 May – Laurent Mangel, cyclist.
• 25 May – Thibault Giresse, soccer player.
• 2 June – Nicolas Plestan, soccer player.
• 7 June – David Attoub, rugby union player.
• 13 June – Guy Demel, soccer player.
• 16 June – Sébastien Roudet, soccer player.
• 30 June – Geoffroy Lequatre, cyclist.

  July to September

• 15 July – Alou Diarra, soccer player.
• 19 July – Grégory Vignal, soccer player.
• 20 July – Jérôme Blanchard, pair skater.
• 28 July – Mathieu Béda, soccer player.
• 28 July – Vincent Restencourt, figure skater.
• 30 July – Sébastien Vaugeois, soccer player.
• 31 July – Sophie Duarte, athlete.
• 4 August – Frédérick Bousquet, swimmer.
• 6 August – Lucie Décosse, judoka.
• 12 August – Djibril Cissé, soccer player.
• 14 August – Adamo Coulibaly, soccer player.
• 20 August – Bernard Mendy, soccer player.
• 24 August – Hervé Bugnet, soccer player.
• 30 August – Grégory Béranger, soccer player.
• 3 September – Gautier Capuçon, cellist.
• 4 September – Gilles Rondy, swimmer.
• 16 September – Aurélien Boche, soccer player.
• 28 September – Loïc Loval, soccer player.
• 29 September – Julien Cardy, soccer player.

  October to December

• 2 October – Jean-Félix Dorothée, soccer player.
• 4 October – Lionel Mathis, soccer player.
• 9 October – Gaël Givet, soccer player.
• 12 October – Guillaume Boussès, rugby union player.
• 30 October – Yohan Hautcoeur, soccer player.
• 30 October – Nicolas Laharrague, rugby union player.
• 1 November – Laurent Fressinet, chess Grandmaster.
• 1 November – Léo Margarit, musician.
• 17 November – Julien Brugnaut, rugby union player.
• 4 December – Thomas Pinault, soccer player.
• 19 December – Moussa Dabo, soccer player.
• 20 December – Julien Benneteau, tennis player.
• 30 December – Cédric Carrasso, soccer player.

  Full date unknown

• La Fouine, rapper.

  Deaths

January to June

• 12 January – Marcel Gobillot, cyclist and Olympic medallist.
• 13 February – René Taupin, translator, critic and academic.
• 20 February – Nicolas de Gunzburg, magazine editor.
• 27 February – Pierre Deley, pioneering pilot.
• 15 March – René Clair, filmmaker.
• 21 March – Roger Blaizot, General.
• 16 April – Count Renaud de la Frégeolière, author and first president of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing.
• 25 April – Paul Bontemps, athlete and Olympic medallist.
• 30 April – François Bordes, scientist, geologist, and archaeologist.
• 31 May – Michel Rougerie, motorcycle racer.
• 13 June – Joseph de Goislard de Monsabert, General.

  July to December

• 11 July – Jean-Jérôme Adam, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Libreville.
• 9 September – Jacques Lacan, psychoanalyst, psychiatrist, and doctor.
• 13 October – Philippe Étancelin, motor racing driver.
• 16 October – Édouard Depreux, journalist, essayist and politician.
• 29 October – Georges Brassens, singer and songwriter.
• 3 November – Jean Eustache, filmmaker.
• 10 November – Abel Gance, film director, producer, writer, actor and editor.
• 25 November – Romain Bellenger, cyclist.
• 5 December – Maurice d'Hartoy, soldier, politician and writer.
• 30 December – Job de Roincé, journalist and writer.

  Full date unknown

• Colette de Jouvenel, daughter of writer Colette.

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