2001 in France

See also: 2000 in France, other events of 2001, 2002 in France.

Events from the year 2001 in France.

Events

• March - The Renault Vel Satis is launched at the Geneva Motor Show.
• 8 March - Cantonales Elections held.
• 11 March - Cantonales Elections held.
• 11 March - Municipal Elections held.
• 18 March - Municipal Elections held.
• April - PSA Peugeot Citroën replaces two of its longest running cars - the Citroën Xantia and Peugeot 306 - with the Citroën C5 and Peugeot 307 respectively.^[1]
• September - Citroën launches the all-new C3 hatchback at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a replacement for the outdated Saxo.
• 21 September - The AZote Fertilisant chemical factory in Toulouse, explodes, killing 29 and seriously wounding over 2500.
• November - The Peugeot 307 is voted European Car of the Year.^[2]

Sport

• 15 April - Paris–Roubaix cycle race won by Servais Knaven of the Netherlands.
• 1 July - French Grand Prix won by Michael Schumacher of Germany.
• 7 July - Tour de France begins.
• 29 July - Tour de France ends, won by Lance Armstrong of the United States.

Births

• 5 April - Thylane Blondeau, model and the daughter of soccer player Patrick Blondeau

Deaths

January to March

• 10 January - Jacques Marin, actor (b.1919).
• 21 January - Jean-Marie Goasmat, cyclist (b.1913).
• 30 January - Jean-Pierre Aumont, actor (b.1911).
• 8 February - Raymond Polin, philosopher (b.1910).
• 18 February - Balthus, artist (b.1908).
• 19 February - Charles Trenet, singer and songwriter (b.1913).
• 4 March - Jean René Bazaine, painter, stained glass window designer and writer (b.1904).

April to June

• 10 April - Jean-Gabriel Albicocco, film director (b.1936).
• 19 April - André du Bouchet, poet (b.1924).
• 20 April - Maurice Lauré, creator of taxe sur la valeur ajoutée (TVA) (b.1917).
• 6 May - René Bondoux, fencer (b.1905)
• 14 May - Paul Bénichou, writer, critic and literary historian (b.1908).
• 15 May - Jean-Philippe Lauer, architect and Egyptologist (b.1902).
• 15 May - Sacha Vierny, cinematographer (b.1919).
• 17 May - Jacques-Louis Lions, mathematician (b.1928).
• 6 June - Marie Brémont, supercentenarian, the oldest recognized person in the world from November 2000 until her death (b.1886).
• 11 June - Pierre Eyt, Cardinal (b.1934).
• 13 June - Louis de Maigret, Military officer (b.1914).
• 15 June - Henri Alekan, cinematographer (b.1909).
• 18 June - René Dumont, agronomist, sociologist and environmental politician (b.1904).
• 23 June - Corinne Calvet, actress (b.1925).

July to September

• July - Hélène de Beauvoir, painter (b.1910).
• 3 August - Jeanne Loriod, musician (b.1928).
• 4 August - Michel de Salzmann, psychiatrist (b.1923).
• 12 August - Pierre Klossowski, writer, translator and artist (b.1905).
• 15 August - Raymond Abescat, oldest man in France and oldest veteran in France at the time of his death (b.1891).
• 25 August - Philippe Léotard, actor and singer (b.1940).
• 4 September - Simone de la Chaume, golfer (b.1908).

October to December

• 18 October - Micheline Ostermeyer, athlete and pianist (b.1922).
• 31 October - Régine Cavagnoud, alpine skier (b.1970).
• 11 November - Pierre Billaud, radio reporter and journalist, killed in Afghanistan (b.1970).
• 12 December - Jean Richard, actor (b.1921).
• 18 December - Gilbert Bécaud, singer, composer and actor (b.1927).
• 19 December - Marcel Mule, classical saxophonist (b.1901).

Full date unknown

• Édouard Artigas, fencer (b.1915).
• Marcel Bleibtreu, Trotskyist activist and theorist (b.1918).
• Pierre Chevalier, caver and mountaineer (b.1905).
• André Pascal, song-writer and composer (b.1932).

References