1961 in France

← 1960 1959 1958 1961 in France → 1962 1963 1964
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
See also:	Other events of 1961 Timeline of French history

Events from the year 1961 in France.

Incumbents

• President: Charles de Gaulle
• Prime Minister: Michel Debré

Events

• 8 January - French referendum on Algerian self-determination is approved by three-quarters of voters.
• 18 March - A ceasefire takes effect in the Algerian War of Independence.
• 21 April-26 April - Algiers putsch, failed coup d'état attempt organized by four retired French army generals.
• 31 May - Rebel generals Maurice Challe and Andre Zelelr are sentenced to 15 years in prison.
• 31 May - President John F. Kennedy and Charles De Gaulle meet in Paris.
• 17 June - A Paris-to-Strasbourg train derails near Vitry-le-François; 24 are killed, 109 injured.
• 21 September - Organisation armée secrète (OAS) slips an anti-de Gaulle message into TV programming.
• October - The Renault 4, a small estate car similar in concept to the Citroen 2CV saloon, is launched at the Paris Salon.^[1]
• 10 October - Simca launches the Simca 1000, a small rear-engined four-door family saloon.^[2]
• 17 October - Paris massacre, French police attacked an unarmed and peaceful demonstration of some 30,000 Algerians. Government acknowledged 40 deaths in 1998, although there are estimates of up to 200.

Arts and literature

• 4 May - Phenomenological philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty dies, age 53, of a stroke, apparently while preparing for a class on Descartes.

Sport

• 18 June - French Grand Prix won by Giancarlo Baghetti of Italy.
• 25 June - Tour de France begins.
• 19 July - Tour de France ends, won by Jacques Anquetil.

Births

• 15 April — José Anigo, soccer player and sporting director
• 16 May — Solveig Dommartin, actress (died 2007)
• 21 September — Philippe Anziani, soccer player and coach
• 29 September — Jean-Marie Neff, racewalker
• 9 October — Martial Fesselier, racewalker

Deaths

• 5 May - Maurice Merleau-Ponty, phenomenological philosopher (born 1908)
• 1 July - Louis-Ferdinand Céline, writer (born 1894)

See also

• 1961 in French television
• List of French films of 1961

References

Years in France
18th century	1700 1701 1702 1703 1704 1705 1706 1707 1708 1709 1710 1711 1712 1713 1714 1715 1716 1717 1718 1719 1720 1721 1722 1723 1724 1725 1726 1727 1728 1729 1730 1731 1732 1733 1734 1735 1736 1737 1738 1739 1740 1741 1742 1743 1744 1745 1746 1747 1748 1749 1750 1751 1752 1753 1754 1755 1756 1757 1758 1759 1760 1761 1762 1763 1764 1765 1766 1767 1768 1769 1770 1771 1772 1773 1774 1775 1776 1777 1778 1779 1780 1781 1782 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787 1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799
19th century	1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899
20th century	1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
21st century	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029