1875 in France

Events from the year 1875 in France.

Incumbents

 * President: Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta
 * President of the Council of Ministers: Ernest Courtot de Cissey (until 10 March), Louis Buffet (starting 10 March)

Events

 * 20 May – Convention du Mètre signed in Paris.
 * Cize–Bolozon viaduct opens to rail traffic across the Ain.
 * Gallium is discovered by Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran.

Arts and literature

 * 5 January – The Palais Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, is inaugurated as the home of the Paris Opera.
 * 3 March – The first performance of Bizet's Carmen at the Opéra Comique, Paris, 3 months before the composer's death.
 * The Flammarion publishing firm is founded in Paris.

Births

 * 17 February – Fanny Clar, journalist and writer (died 1944)
 * 21 February – Jeanne Calment, supercentenarian and the oldest living person ever documented in history (died 1997)
 * 7 March – Maurice Ravel, composer and pianist (died 1937)
 * 27 March – Cécile Vogt-Mugnier, neurologist (died 1962)
 * 4 April – Pierre Monteux, conductor (died 1964)
 * 5 April – Mistinguett, singer (born 1956)
 * 27 April – Maurice, 6th duc de Broglie, physicist (died 1960)
 * 28 June – Henri Lebesgue, mathematician (died 1941)
 * 31 July – Jacques Villon, painter and printmaker (died 1963)
 * 6 August – Marcel Labey, conductor and composer (died 1968)
 * 27 September – Cléo de Mérode, dancer (died 1966)

Full date unknown

 * Maurice Princet, mathematician and actuary (died 1973)

January to June

 * 1 January – Jacques Crétineau-Joly, journalist and historian (born 1803)
 * 3 January – Pierre Larousse, grammarian and lexicographer (born 1817)
 * 10 January – Anton Melbye, Danish painter (born 1818)
 * 20 January – Jean-François Millet, painter (born 1814)
 * 22 February – Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, painter (born 1796)
 * 1 March – Tristan Corbière, poet (born 1845)
 * 25 March – Louis Amédée Achard, novelist (born 1814)
 * 4 May – Michel Lévy, publisher (born 1821)
 * 5 May – Alexandre Boreau, pharmacist and botanist (born 1803)
 * 10 May – Gustave Thuret, botanist (born 1817)
 * 31 May – Eliphas Levi, occult author and magician (born 1810)
 * 3 June – Georges Bizet, composer and pianist (born 1838)
 * 24 June – Henri Labrouste, architect (born 1801)
 * 25 June – Antoine-Louis Barye, sculptor (born 1796)

July to December

 * 11 August – Charles Rohault de Fleury, architect (born 1801)
 * 25 August – Charles Auguste Frossard, general (born 1807)
 * 12 October – Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, sculptor and painter (born 1827)
 * 24 October – Jacques Paul Migne, priest, theologian and publisher (born 1800)
 * 17 November – Jacques-Marie-Achille Ginoulhiac, Bishop (born 1806)

Full date unknown

 * Charles Auguste Désiré Filon, historian (born 1800)