2005 in France

"See also:"
2004 in France,
other events of 2005,
2006 in France.

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Events from the year 2005 in France.

Incumbents

* President - Jacques Chirac
* Prime Minister - Jean-Pierre Raffarin then Dominique de Villepin
* Interior Minister - Dominique de Villepin then Nicolas Sarkozy
* Finance Minister - Hervé Gaymard then Thierry Breton
* Foreign Minister - Michel Barnier then Philippe Douste-Blazy

Events

*5 January - "Libération" journalist Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi guide Hussein Hanoun Al-Saadi are taken hostage in Iraq (freed on 11 June).
*11 February - André Vingt-Trois is named Archbishop of Paris.
*23 February - A controversial French law on colonialism, requiring teachers to paint it in a positive light, is passed by the national legislature.
*25 February - Resignation of Minister of Finance Hervé Gaymard, following a scandal over the low rent of the exclusive apartment he occupied.
*31 March - An amendment to the 35-hour workweek law is voted, extending possibilities of overtime.
*April - The Fillon law reforming France's education system is voted, amidst student protests numbering hundreds of thousands.
*6 April - First mental 13th root calculation of a 200-digit number, computed by Alexis Lemaire.
*15 April - At least 21 people die and around 50 are injured in a devastating fire at a hotel in central Paris.
*27 April - First flight of Airbus A380 in Toulouse.
*16 May - Pentecost Monday ceases to be a statutory holiday, leading to strong protests.
*29 May - French referendum on the European Constitution votes resoundingly to reject it.
*31 May - A new government, headed by Dominique de Villepin, is nominated.
*28 June - Official announcement that ITER will be built in Cadarache, Southern France.
*5 July - Laurence Parisot becomes the president of the Mouvement des Entreprises de France.
*2 August - Air France Flight 358 bursts into flames after skidding off the end of runway in Toronto, all passengers survive.
*11 August - Ariane 5GS launches Thaïcom-4/iPStar-1, the heaviest telecommunications satellite to date at 6505 kg, into orbit.
*16 August - West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 crashes in Venezuela, killing 160, mostly French citizens from Martinique.
*16 August - Assassination of Frère Roger, founder of the Taizé community.
*3 September - Jacques Chirac is hospitalized for a "small vascular incident" affecting his eyesight.
*27 October - 2005 civil unrest in France begins, and will last until 17 November.
*8 November - President Jacques Chirac declares a state of emergency on the 12th day of the French civil unrest.
*16 November - Ariane 5 launches Spaceway-F2 and Telkom-2, the rocket's heaviest dual payload to date, at more than 8000 kg.
*18 November - Partial privatization of Électricité de France.
*27 November - Surgeons in France carry out the first human face transplant on Isabelle Dinoire. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4685202.stm "Face op woman braves media glare" BBC news] ]

Arts and Literature

*17 March - René Girard is elected to the Académie Française.
*24 March - Celebration of the 100-years anniversary of the death of Jules Verne.
*31 March - Launch of Digital terrestrial television, with 14 new channels.
*2 July - Live 8 concert, Paris at the Palais de Versailles.
*26 August - Jean Michel Jarre's "Space of Freedom" concert is held in Gdańsk, Poland, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the creation of Solidarność.

Film

*2005 Cannes Film Festival
*"March of the Penguins"

port

*8 May - Olympique Lyonnais wins the Ligue 1.
*2 July - Tour de France begins.
*3 July - French Grand Prix won by Fernando Alonso of Spain.
*6 July - Paris loses the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games to London.
*24 July - Lance Armstrong wins a record seventh straight Tour de France before his scheduled retirement.
*Sébastien Loeb wins the World Rally Championship with a record 10 victories.
*Ladji Doucouré becomes world champion of 110 metres hurdles and 4x100 metres relay at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
*Vincent Riou wins the Vendée Globe race in 87 days.

Births

Deaths

January

*3 January - Claude Meillassoux, economic anthropologist and Africanist (b.1925).
*5 January - René Le Hénaff, film editor and director (b.1901).
*7 January - Pierre Daninos, writer and humorist (b.1913).
*8 January - Jacqueline Joubert, television presenter (b.1921).
*8 January - Michel Thomas, linguist, language teacher and decorated war veteran (b.1914).
*10 January - Georges Bernier, also known as Le Professeur Choron, humorist (b.1929).
*11 January - Fernand Cazenave, international rugby union player and coach (b.1924).
*15 January - Michel Moine, journalist and parapsychologist (b.1920).
*27 January - Aurélie Nemours, painter (b.1910).
*28 January - Jacques Villeret, actor (b.1951).
*28 January - Karen Lancaume, adult film star (b.1973).

February

*6 February - Hubert Curien, physicist (b.1924).
*7 February - Madeleine Rebérioux, historian (b.1920).
*7 February - Paul Rebeyrolle, painter (b.1926).
*10 February - Humbert Balsan, film producer (b.1954).
*10 February - Jean Cayrol, poet and publisher (b.1911).
*11 February - Raymond Hermantier, actor (b.1924).
*13 February - Maurice Trintignant, motor racing driver (b.1917).
*15 February - Pierre Bachelet, singer songwriter (b.1944).
*22 February - Simone Simon, actress (b.1910).
*25 February - Jean Prat, international rugby player (b.1923).

March

*1 March - Edouard Stern, banker (b.1954).
*15 March - Jean-Pierre Genet, cyclist (b.1940).

April

*8 April - Maurice Lafont, international soccer player (b.1927).
*11 April - André François, cartoonist (b.1915).
*11 April - Lucien Laurent, international soccer player, scored the first ever World Cup goal (b.1907).

May

*3 May - Pierre Moerlen, drummer and percussionist (b.1952).
*5 May - Claude Julien, journalist and editor (b.1925).
*13 May - Eddie Barclay, music producer (b.1921).
*20 May - Paul Ricoeur, philosopher (b.1913).

June

*29 June - François-Xavier Verschave, one of founders of the NGO "Survie" (b.1945).

July

*2 July - Pierre Michelot, double bass player (b.1928).
*6 July - Claude Simon, novelist, 1985 Nobel Laureate in Literature (b.1913).
*19 July - Alain Bombard, biologist, physician, politician and sailor (b.1924).
*19 July - Jean-Michel Gaillard, politician (b.1946).
*26 July - Pierre Broué, historian and Trotskyist (b.1926).
*28 July - Jacques Lacarrière, ice hockey player (b.1906).

August

*3 August - Françoise d'Eaubonne, feminist writer (b.1920).
*7 August - Paul Arnaud de Foïard, General (b.1921).
*9 August - Colette Besson, Olympic athlete (b.1946).
*9 August - François Dalle, businessman
*16 August - Frère Roger, founder of the Taizé community (b.1915).
*22 August - Henri Genès, actor and singer (b.1919).
*22 August - Luc Ferrari, composer (b.1929).
*25 August - Jacques Dufilho, actor (b.1914).
*31 August - Stéphane Bruey, international soccer player (b.1932).
*31 August - André Debry, one of the last surviving French veterans of World War I (b.1898).

eptember

*9 September - André Pousse, actor (b.1919).
*17 September - Jacques Lacarrière, writer, critic, journalist, and essayist (b.1925).
*24 September - André Testut, motor racing driver (b.1926).

October

*5 October - Alexis Tendil, World War I veteran (b.1896).
*25 October - Arman, artist (b.1928).
*27 October - Jean-Claude Irvoas, murder victim (b.1949).
*27 October - Rene Moreau, World War I veteran.
*28 October - Raymond Hains, artist and photographer (b.1926).

November

*7 November - Jean-Jacques Le Chenadec, urban violence victim (b.1944).
*9 November - Marceau Somerlinck, soccer player (b.1922).
*November - Dominique Chaboche, politician and MEP (b.1937).

December

*4 December - Gloria Lasso, singer (b.1922).
*17 December - Jacques Fouroux, international rugby union player, coach (b.1947).

Full date unknown

*Jean Catoire, composer (b.1923).
*Ernestine Chassebœuf, letter writer (b.1910).
*Madeleine Giteau, historian (b.1918).
*Jean Lescure, poet (b.1912).
*Laurent-Michel Vacher, philosopher, writer and journalist (b.1944).

References