1978 in France

• President: Valéry Giscard d'Estaing • Prime Minister: Raymond Barre ==Events==

• February – Launch of the Horizon front-wheel drive hatchback by Chrysler Europe, which will be built in France as a Simca and sold in Britain as a Talbot. • 1 February – Hollywood film director Roman Polanski skips bail and flees to France, after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl. • 12 March – Legislative Election held. • 19 March – Legislative Election held. • April – Launch of the Renault 18 saloon and estates, replacement for the Renault 12. • 4 May – Communist activist Henri Curiel is murdered in Paris. • 10 May – Two years after buying Citroën, carmaker Peugeot makes another takeover by purchasing the European operations of American car giant Chrysler, owners of the French Simca and British Chrysler brands. • 16 May – Amoco Cadiz runs aground off the coast of Brittany, split in two and spilled of oil. • 18–19 May – Belgian and French paratroopers fly to Zaire to aid the fight against the rebels. • 27 May – Brittany Ferries inaugurate a regular service between Roscoff and Cork in the Republic of Ireland. • 26 June – Bombing by Breton nationalists causes destruction in Palace of Versailles. • December – The Simca Horizon is voted European Car of the Year. • 31 December – Disappearance of Danielle Judic. • unknown date – The Trâ Armânami Association of French Aromanians is founded. ==Births==

January to March • 5 January – Franck Montagny, motor racing driver. • 6 January – Renaud Dion, cyclist. • 11 January – Stéphane Morisot, soccer player. • 14 January – Éric Sitruk, soccer player. • 17 January • Stéphane Pasquier, jockey. • Aboubacar Sankhare, soccer player. • 21 January – David Coulibaly, soccer player. • 30 January – Sébastien Sansoni, soccer player. • 7 February – Nicolas Ardouin, soccer player. • 8 February – Loïc Jean-Albert, parachuter. • 11 February – Aurélien Cologni, rugby league player. • 16 February – Nicolas Florentin, soccer player. • 26 February – Stéphane Bonnes, soccer player. • 28 February – Jeanne Cherhal, singer-songwriter • 5 March – Stéphane Martine, soccer player. • 13 March – Faustine Merret, windsurfer and Olympic gold medallist. • 22 March – Arnaud Le Lan, soccer player. • 26 March – Cédric Mouret, soccer player. • 27 March – Amélie Cocheteux, tennis player. • 28 March – Fabien Audard, soccer player. • 30 March – Édouard Cissé, soccer player. • 31 March – Jérôme Rothen, international soccer player. April to June • 5 April – Boussad Houche, soccer player. • 5 April – Arnaud Tournant, cyclist. • 8 April – Mathieu Assou-Ekotto, soccer player. • 11 April – David Ducourtioux, soccer player. • 2 May – Didier Domi, soccer player. • 5 May – Bruno Cheyrou, soccer player. • 6 May – Tony Estanguet, canoeist • 11 May – Laetitia Casta, supermodel and actress. • 15 May – Sébastien Chabbert, soccer player. • 15 May – Yohan Demont, soccer player. • 27 May – Jacques Abardonado, soccer player. • 29 May – Sébastien Grosjean, tennis player. • 2 June – Nicolas Bal, Nordic combined skier and Olympic medallist. • 6 June – Faudel, singer. • 11 June – Julien Rodriguez, soccer player. • 15 June – Jérôme Moïso, basketball player. • 17 June – Isabelle Delobel, ice dancer. • 17 June – Véronique Delobel, ice dancer. • 23 June – Frédéric Leclercq, bassist. • 28 June – Clarisse Albrecht, singer-songwriter, actress and former model July to September • 17 July – Émilie Simon, singer and composer. • 18 July – Mélissa Theuriau, journalist and news anchor. • 20 July – Cédric Heymans, rugby union player. • 26 July – Matthieu Bataille, judoka. • 28 July – Yannick Jauzion, rugby union player. • 29 July – Julien Laharrague, rugby union player. • 4 August – Emmanuelle Boidron, actress. • 7 August – Alexandre Aja, film director. • 8 August – Louis Saha, association football player • 9 August – Audrey Tautou, actress. • 14 August – Pascal Delhommeau, soccer player. • 19 August – François Modesto, soccer player. • 19 August – Sebastien Tortelli, twice World Champion motocross racer. • 27 August – Franck Queudrue, soccer player. • 29 August – Yves Deroff, soccer player. • 31 August – Philippe Christanval, soccer player. • 1 September – Coralie Clément, singer. • 9 September – Alioune Touré, soccer player. • 11 September – Laurent Courtois, soccer player. • 13 September – Sonia Huguet, cyclist. • 20 September – Julien Bonnaire, rugby union player. • 23 September – Frédéric Daquin, soccer player. • 23 September – Ingrid Jacquemod, alpine skier. • 27 September – Jean-Joël Perrier-Doumbé, soccer player. October to December • 5 October – Fabien Boudarène, soccer player. • 29 October – Jérôme Guisset, rugby league player. • 22 November – Mélanie Doutey, actress. • 28 November – Denis Flahaut, cyclist. • 7 December – Jean Bouilhou, rugby union player. • 10 December – Grégory Proment, soccer player. • 11 December – Eric Borel, spree killer (died 1995). • 16 December – Sylvain Distin, soccer player. Full date unknown • Valérie Crunchant, actress. • Damien Luce, pianist. ==Deaths==

January to April • 8 January – André François-Poncet, politician and diplomat (born 1887). • 16 January – Jean Gounot, gymnast and Olympic medallist (born 1894). • 22 January – Léon Damas, poet and politician (born 1912). • 24 January – Georges Perros, writer (born 1923). • 31 January – Marie-Louise Damien, singer and actress (born 1889). • 24 February – Georges Bénézé, philosopher (born 1888). • 2 March – Alix Combelle, swing jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist and bandleader (born 1912). • 11 March – Hélène Bouvier, operatic mezzo-soprano (born 1905). • 11 March – Claude François, singer and songwriter (born 1939). • 15 March – Jacques Forestier, rheumatologist (born 1890). • 18 March – François Duprat, negationist writer (born 1941). • 19 March – Gaston Julia, mathematician (born 1893). • 20 March – Jacques Brugnon, tennis player (born 1895). • 23 April – Jacques Rueff, economist and adviser to the French Government (born 1896). • 29 April – Robert Debré, physician (born 1882). May to December • 4 May – Henri Curiel, political activist, assassinated (born 1914). • 14 May – Henri Chapron, automobile coachbuilder (born 1886). • 24 June – Robert Charroux, writer (born 1909). • 14 July – Gaston Ragueneau, athlete and Olympic medallist (born 1881). • 22 July – André Chapelon, mechanical engineer and designer of steam locomotives (born 1892). • 23 July – Danielle Collobert, author, poet and journalist (born 1940). • 25 August – Olivier Hussenot, actor (born 1913). • 26 August – Charles Boyer, actor (born 1899). • 6 September – Max Décugis, tennis player (born 1882). • 8 September – Jean Nicolas, international soccer player (born 1913). • 19 September – Étienne Gilson, Thomistic philosopher and historian of philosophy (born 1884). • 16 November – Claude Dauphin, actor (born 1903). • 5 December – Bernard Faÿ, historian (born 1893). • 21 December – Roger Caillois, writer and intellectual (born 1913). Full date unknown • Camille Le Mercier d'Erm, poet, historian and Breton nationalist (born 1888). ==References==