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

1594 - Nicolas Poussin (French painter)

1640 - Bernard Lamy (French mathematician)

1755 - Antoine François, comte de Fourcroy (French chemist)

1809 - François-Xavier Garneau (French Canadian poet and historian)

1906 - Léon Degrelle (Belgian SS officer)

1930 - Marcel Pronovost (Canadian ice hockey player)

1936 - Claude Brasseur (French actor and athlete)

1943 - Johnny Hallyday (French singer and actor)

1954 - Paul Rusesabagina (assistant manager of Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda)

1960 - Michèle Laroque (French actress)

1969 - Cédric Pioline (French tennis player)


Deaths

923 - Robert I of France

1467 - Philip III (Duke of Burgundy)

1679 - Guillaume Courtois (French painter)

1750 - Marguerite De Launay (Baronne Staal, French writer)

1772 - Louis-Claude Daquin (French composer)

1858 - Ary Scheffer (Dutch-French painter)

1934 - Alfred Bruneau (French composer)

1962 - Alfred Cortot (Swiss pianist)

2006 - Raymond Devos (French humorist)


Milestones/Events

923 - Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France was killed and King Charles the Simple was arrested by the supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy

1667 - The first human blood transfusion was administered by French doctor Jean-Baptiste Denys

1785 - Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and Pierre Romain became the first-ever casualties of an air crash when their hot air balloon exploded during their attempt to cross the English Channel

1808 - Joseph Bonaparte, Napoléon I's brother, became King of Spain

1954 - Basel, Switzerland: Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA) was formed

1991 - Canada: Birth of Bloc Québécois, the first federal political party that supported Quebec nationalism


Errors and Omissions

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