1966 in France

← 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1966 in France → 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
See also:	Other events of 1966 History of France  • Timeline  • Years

Events from the year 1966 in France.

Incumbents

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

Events

• 4 January – Feyzin disaster: a gas leak and fire at the Feyzin oil refinery near Lyon kills 18 and injures 84.
• 10 January – L'Express publishes allegations by secret agent 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 his part in 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 headquarters must be closed within a year.
• 17 June – An Air France personnel strike begins.
• 20 June – President Charles de Gaulle starts a visit to the Soviet Union.
• 30 June – France formally leaves the military structure of 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 headquarters from Paris to Brussels.

Arts and literature

Main articles: 1966 in art and 1966 in literature

Sport

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

Births

January to March

• 12 January – Olivier Martinez, actor
• 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.
  • Fab Morvan, singer
• 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 Jódard, 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.
  • Thierry Perez, politician
• 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 (born 1884).
• 4 January – Marcel Tabuteau, oboist (born 1887).
• 6 January – Jean Lurçat, painter and tapestry designer (born 1892).
• 22 January – Jean Galtier-Boissière, writer, polemist and journalist (born 1891).
• 11 March – Jean Laigret, biologist (born 1893).
• 16 March – Jean Neuberth, abstract painter (born 1915).
• 31 March – Andre Richaume, archetier/bowmaker (born 1905).

April to June

• 13 April – Georges Duhamel, author (born 1884).
• 4 May – Amédée Ozenfant, cubist painter (born 1886).
• 24 May – Henri Barbé, communist (born 1902).
• 7 June – Jean Arp, sculptor, painter, poet and abstract artist (born 1886).
• 13 June – Pierre Chaumié, politician (born 1880).
• 19 June – Pierre Montet, Egyptologist (born 1885).
• 26 June – François Dupré, hotelier, art collector and horse breeder (born 1888).

July to September

• 14 July – Julie Manet, painter and art collector (born 1878).
• 29 July – André Spire, poet, writer, and Zionist activist (born 1868).
• 17 August – François Piétri, politician, Minister and diplomat (born 1882).
• 18 August – Louis Renou, indologist (born 1896).
• 14 September – Alexandre Bioussa, rugby union player (born 1901).
• 21 September – Paul Reynaud, politician and lawyer (born 1878).
• 28 September – André Breton, writer, poet, and surrealist theorist (born 1896).

October to December

• 6 October – Pierre Couderc, screenwriter, actor, acrobat and film producer (born 1896).
• 8 October – Célestin Freinet, pedagogue, and educational reformer (born 1896).
• 10 October
  • Robert Desoille, psychotherapist (born 1890).
  • Louise Thuliez, resistance fighter in World War I and World War II (born 1881)
• 17 October – Cléo de Mérode, dancer (born 1875).
• 28 October – Robert Charpentier, cyclist and Olympic gold medallist (born 1916).

Full date unknown

• Charles Catteau, industrial designer (born 1880).
• Frédéric Justin Collet, pathologist and otolaryngologist (born 1870).
• Louis Couffignal, mathematician and cybernetics pioneer (born 1902).
• Edmond Locard, pioneer in forensic science (born 1877).

See also

• List of French films of 1966