Learn about important dates in French and francophone history: famous birthdays, holidays and celebrations, and other milestones. If the above does not match today's date or you wish to choose a specific date, please click here.

To learn more about important dates in French and francophone history, bookmark Today in Francophone History and visit every day!

Birthdays

1842 - Alexandre Ribot (French statesman)

1905 - Paul Nizan (French author)

1927 - Juliette Greco (French singer and actress)

1969 - Yves Racine (Canadian ice hockey player)

Deaths

1317 - Robert, Count of Clermont (French founder of the House of Bourbon)

1693 - Paul Pellisson (French writer)

1986 - Cheikh Anta Diop (Senegalese historian)

Milestones/Events

1639 - Dictionnaire de l'Académie française was begun

1653 - Nicolas Fouquet was appointed France's superintendent of finance

1668 - England, the Netherlands, and Sweden concluded an alliance against French King Louis XIV

1783 - France and Spain ended the Siege of Gibraltar

1807 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Eylau began

1898 - Émile Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing J'accuse

1971 - Switzerland: Women gained the right to vote

1986 - Haiti: President Jean-Claude Duvalier fled

1963 - New York: The Mona Lisa was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

1991 - Haiti: Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the country's first democratically-elected president, was sworn in

1992 - The European Union was formed

Errors and Omissions

If you believe anything on this page is wrong or missing, please let me know