Today in Francophone History

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

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Birthdays

1892 - Arthur Honegger (French-born Swiss composer)

1920 - Boris Vian (French writer)

1930 - Claude Bolling (French jazz pianist)

1944 - Maxime N'Debeka (Congolese poet)

1954 - Didier Barbelivien (French singer)

1976 - Sean D'Anconia (Canadian visual artist)

1981 - Samuel Eto'o (Cameroonian soccer player)

1985 - Lassana Diarra (French soccer player)


Deaths

1776 - Élie Catherine Fréron (French critic)

1994 - Abdelkader Alloula (Algerian playwright)


Milestones/Events

1804 - Louisiana Purchase: In St Louis, formal ceremony transfered ownership of the Louisiana Territory from France to the United States

1814 - France: Battle of Laon - Napoleon I of France defeated

1831 - The French Foreign Legion was established by King Louis-Philippe to support his war in Algeria

1861 - Mali: El Hadj Umar Tall seized the city of Ségou, destroying the Bambara Empire

1893 - Côte d'Ivoire became a French colony

1906 - France: Courrières mine disaster, Europe's worst ever, killed 1099 miners

1951 - Henri Queuille became Prime Minister of France

1990 - Haiti: Prosper Avril ousted 18 months after seizing power in a coup


Errors and Omissions

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