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
1321 - John of Artois, Count of Eu (French soldier)
1640 - Antoine Coysevox (French sculptor)
1678 - Adrien-Maurice, 3rd duc de Noailles (French soldier)
1703 - François Boucher (French painter)
1942 - Jean-Luc Ponty (French jazz violinist)
Deaths
1364 - Charles, Duke of Brittany
1703 - Charles de Saint-Évremond (French soldier)
1889 - Louis Faidherbe (French general)
1902 - Émile Zola (French writer)
1925 - Léon Bourgeois (French statesman)
Milestones/Events
1364 - Breton War of Succession: Battle of Auray
1918 - World War I: The Hindenburg Line broken by Allied forces
1929 - Dieudonne Costes and Maurice Bellonte set distance record for flight between France and China (4,912 miles / 7,905 kilometers)
1938 - Munich Agreement signed by France, Britain, Nazi Germany, and Italy
1962 - Canada launched its first satellite: Alouette 1
Errors and Omissions
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