The following lists events from the year 2001 in France.

Incumbents President: Jacques Chirac Prime Minister: Lionel Jospin

Events March – The Renault Vel Satis is launched at the Geneva Motor Show. 8 March – Cantonales Elections are held. 11 March – Cantonales Elections are held. 11 March – Municipal Elections are held. 18 March – Municipal Elections are held. April – PSA Peugeot Citroën replaces two of its longest running cars – the Citroën Xantia and Peugeot 306 – with the Citroën C5 and Peugeot 307 respectively. September – Citroën launches the all-new C3 hatchback at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a replacement for the outdated Saxo. 15 September – Santé Diabète organization is created in Grenoble. 21 September – The AZote Fertilisant chemical factory in Toulouse, explodes, killing 29 and seriously wounding over 2500. November – The Peugeot 307 is voted European Car of the Year.

Sport 15 April – Paris–Roubaix cycle race won by Servais Knaven of the Netherlands. 1 July – French Grand Prix won by Michael Schumacher of Germany. 7 July – Tour de France begins. 29 July – Tour de France ends, won by Lance Armstrong of the United States.

Births 26 January – Kenza Fortas, actress 24 March – William Saliba, footballer 26 March – Khéphren Thuram, footballer 5 April – Thylane Blondeau, model and the daughter of soccer player Patrick Blondeau 10 April – Lisa Barbelin, archer 17 May – Manu Koné, footballer 5 September – Janelle Salaün, basketball player 6 November – Lucas Chevalier, footballer 23 November – Tess Ledeux, freestyle skier 12 December – Michael Olise, footballer

Deaths

January to March 1 January - Madeleine Barbulée, actress (b. 1910). 10 January – Jacques Marin, actor (b. 1919). 30 January Jean-Pierre Aumont, actor (b. 1911). Michel Marcel Navratil, last French survivor and male survivor of the Titanic disaster (b. 1908) 5 February – Louise Moreau, politician (b. 1921) 8 February – Raymond Polin, philosopher (b. 1910). 18 February – Balthus, artist (b. 1908). 19 February – Charles Trenet, singer and songwriter (b. 1913). Édouard Artigas, fencer (b. 1915). 4 March – Jean René Bazaine, painter, stained glass window designer and writer (b. 1904).

April to June 10 April – Jean-Gabriel Albicocco, film director (b. 1936). 19 April – André du Bouchet, poet (b. 1924). 20 April – Maurice Lauré, creator of taxe sur la valeur ajoutée (TVA) (b. 1917). 26 April – André Pascal, songwriter and composer (b. 1932). 6 May – René Bondoux, fencer (b. 1905) 14 May – Paul Bénichou, writer, critic and literary historian (b. 1908). 15 May Jean-Philippe Lauer, architect and Egyptologist (b. 1902). Sacha Vierny, cinematographer (b. 1919). 17 May – Jacques-Louis Lions, mathematician (b. 1928). 6 June – Marie Brémont, supercentenarian, the oldest recognized person in the world from November 2000 until her death (b. 1886). 8 June – Lucien Lauk, racing cyclist (b. 1911) 11 June – Pierre Eyt, cardinal (b. 1934). 15 June – Henri Alekan, cinematographer (b. 1909). 18 June – René Dumont, agronomist, sociologist and environmental politician (b. 1904). 23 June – Corinne Calvet, actress (b. 1925).

July to September 1 July – Hélène de Beauvoir, painter (b. 1910). 3 August – Jeanne Loriod, musician (b. 1928). 4 August – Michel de Salzmann, psychiatrist (b. 1923). 12 August – Pierre Klossowski, writer, translator and artist (b. 1905). 15 August – Raymond Abescat, oldest man in France and oldest veteran in France at the time of his death (b. 1891). 25 August – Philippe Léotard, actor and singer (b. 1940). 4 September – Simone de la Chaume, golfer (b. 1908).

October to December 18 October – Micheline Ostermeyer, athlete and pianist (b. 1922). 31 October – Régine Cavagnoud, alpine skier (b. 1970). 11 November – Pierre Billaud, radio reporter and journalist, killed in Afghanistan (b. 1970). Pierre Chevalier, caver and mountaineer (b. 1905). 12 December – Jean Richard, actor (b. 1921). 14 December – André Tollet, chairman of the Paris liberation committee (b. 1913). 18 December – Gilbert Bécaud, singer, composer and actor (b. 1927). 19 December – Marcel Mule, classical saxophonist (b. 1901). 25 December – Marcel Bleibtreu, Trotskyist activist and theorist (b. 1918).

See also 2001 in French television List of French films of 2001

References