1959 in France

Events from the year 1959 in France.

Incumbents

 * President: Rene Coty (until 8 January), Charles de Gaulle (starting 8 January)
 * Prime Minister: Charles de Gaulle (until 8 January), Michel Debré (starting 8 January)

Events

 * 8 January – Charles de Gaulle inaugurated as the first president of French Fifth Republic.
 * 2 December – The Malpasset Dam collapses and floods the town of Fréjus, killing 412.

Arts and literature

 * 11 March – Eurovision Song Contest held in Cannes.
 * 29 October – Astérix the Gaul makes a first appearance in the first regular issue of the comic magazine Pilote.

Sport

 * 25 June – 1959 Tour de France begins.
 * 18 July – 1959 Tour de France ends, won by Federico Bahamontes of Spain, the first Spanish cyclist to win the Tour de France.

Births

 * 1 January – Michel Onfray, philosopher and author
 * 7 February – Christine Angot, novelist and playwright
 * 18 March – Luc Besson, film director, writer and producer
 * 1 May – Yasmina Reza, playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter
 * 14 May – Patrick Bruel, singer and actor
 * 28 May – Steve Jeltz, baseball player
 * 19 June – Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris
 * 6 July – Richard Dacoury, basketball player
 * 15 July – Christian Dornier, murderer
 * 7 September – Pierre Nanterme, business executive (died 2019)

Deaths

 * 21 January – Yves Le Febvre, writer and politician (born 1874)
 * 17 April – Paul Dujardin, water polo player and Olympic medallist (born 1894)
 * 5 May – Georges-François-Xavier-Marie Grente, cardinal (born 1872)
 * 14 May – Sidney Bechet, African American jazz saxophonist (born 1897)
 * 15 May – Jeanne de Flandreysy, writer (born 1874)
 * 22 June – Félix Guignot, physician (born 1882)
 * 23 June – Boris Vian, writer, poet and musician (born 1920)
 * 25 November – Gérard Philipe, actor (born 1922)