1966 in France

Events from the year 1966 in France.

Incumbents

 * President: Charles de Gaulle
 * Prime Minister: Georges Pompidou

Events

 * 4 January – A gas leak fire at the Feyzin oil refinery near Lyon, kills 18 and injures 84.
 * 10 January – L'Express publishes a story of Georges Figon, who took part in the kidnapping of Mehdi Ben Barka.
 * 18 January – Police announce that Georges Figon committed suicide, prior to his arrest for the kidnapping of Mehdi Ben Barka.
 * 7 March – Charles de Gaulle asks U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson for negotiations about the state of NATO equipment in France.
 * 11 March – President Charles de Gaulle states that French troops will be taken out of NATO and that all French NATO bases and HQ's must be closed within a year.
 * 17 June – An Air France personnel strike begins.
 * 20 June – President Charles de Gaulle starts visit to the Soviet Union.
 * 30 June – France formally leaves NATO.
 * 26 August – Riots occur in French Somaliland.
 * 30 August – France offers independence to French Somaliland.
 * 11 October – France and the Soviet Union sign a treaty for cooperation in nuclear research.
 * 26 October – NATO moves its HQ from Paris to Brussels.

Sport

 * 21 June – Tour de France begins.
 * 14 July – Tour de France ends, won by Lucien Aimar.

January to March

 * 12 January – Olivier Martinez, actor
 * 17 January – Jean-Pierre Delaunay, soccer player and coach.
 * 24 January – Julie Dreyfus, actress.
 * 1 February – Laurent Garnier, techno music producer and DJ.
 * 3 February – Jean-Jacques Eydelie, soccer player.
 * 4 February – Guillaume Dasquié, journalist and writer.
 * 28 February – Eric Dubus, athlete.
 * 29 March – Stéphane Bré, soccer referee.

April to June

 * 3 April – Rémi Garde, soccer player and coach.
 * 19 April – Véronique Gens, soprano.
 * 24 April – Pascale Paradis, tennis player.
 * 26 April – Jean-Christophe Jeauffre, explorer, filmmaker and producer.
 * 28 April – Jean-Luc Crétier, alpine skier and Olympic gold medallist.
 * 11 May – Estelle Lefébure, supermodel.
 * 14 May
 * Marianne Denicourt, actress.
 * Fab Morvan, singer
 * 17 May – Gilles Quénéhervé, athlete and Olympic medallist.
 * 24 May – Eric Cantona, soccer player.
 * 29 May – Natalie Nougayrède, journalist.
 * 30 May – Frédéric Hantz, soccer manager.
 * 14 June
 * Thierry Bonalair, soccer player.
 * Béatrice Mouthon, triathlete.
 * Isabelle Mouthon-Michellys, triathlete.
 * 16 June
 * Patrice Killoffer, comics illustrator and writer.
 * Stéphane Traineau, judoka and Olympic medallist.
 * 18 June – Catherine Fleury-Vachon, judoka and Olympic gold medallist.
 * 22 June – Emmanuelle Seigner, actress.

July to September

 * 1 July – Stéphan Caron, swimmer and Olympic medallist.
 * 5 July – Laurence Ferrari, journalist.
 * 8 July – Jean-Philippe Jódard, beach volleyball player.
 * 15 July – Irène Jacob, actress.
 * 4 August – Luc Leblanc, cyclist.
 * 5 August – Gilles Delion, cyclist.
 * 13 August – Pascal Lino, cyclist.
 * 28 August – Christophe Galtier, soccer player.
 * 31 August – Thierry Champion, tennis player.
 * 2 September – Olivier Panis, motor racing driver.
 * 3 September – Angelo Hugues, soccer player.
 * 4 September – Biréli Lagrène, guitarist and bassist.
 * 24 September – Christophe Bouchut, motor racing driver.
 * 29 September – Laurent Chambertin, volleyball player.

October to December

 * 10 October – Laurent Duhamel, soccer referee.
 * 18 October – Thierry Lamberton, ice speed skater.
 * 25 October – Lionel Charbonnier, soccer player.
 * 6 November – Laurent Lafforgue, mathematician.
 * 17 November – Sophie Marceau, actress.
 * 19 November
 * Dominique Arnould, cyclist.
 * Thierry Perez, politician
 * 23 November – Vincent Cassel, actor.
 * 30 November – Philippe Bozon, ice hockey player.
 * 10 December – Benjamin Clément, soccer player.
 * 20 December – Hélène Rollès, actress and singer.
 * 29 December
 * Laurent Boudouani, boxer and Olympic medallist.
 * Patrice Rognon, judoka and Olympic medallist.

Full date unknown

 * Jean-Pascal Beintus, composer.
 * Catherine Dufour, writer.

January to March

 * 1 January – Vincent Auriol, politician, President of France (born 1884).
 * 4 January – Marcel Tabuteau, oboist (born 1887).
 * 6 January – Jean Lurçat, painter and tapestry designer (born 1892).
 * 22 January – Jean Galtier-Boissière, writer, polemist and journalist (born 1891).
 * 11 March – Jean Laigret, biologist (born 1893).
 * 16 March – Jean Neuberth, abstract painter (born 1915).
 * 31 March – Andre Richaume, archetier/bowmaker (born 1905).

April to June

 * 13 April – Georges Duhamel, author (born 1884).
 * 4 May – Amédée Ozenfant, cubist painter (born 1886).
 * 24 May – Henri Barbé, communist (born 1902).
 * 7 June – Jean Arp, sculptor, painter, poet and abstract artist (born 1886).
 * 13 June – Pierre Chaumié, politician (born 1880).
 * 19 June – Pierre Montet, Egyptologist (born 1885).
 * 26 June – François Dupré, hotelier, art collector and horse breeder (born 1888).

July to September

 * 14 July – Julie Manet, painter and art collector (born 1878).
 * 29 July – André Spire, poet, writer, and Zionist activist (born 1868).
 * 17 August – François Piétri, politician, Minister and diplomat (born 1882).
 * 18 August – Louis Renou, indologist (born 1896).
 * 14 September – Alexandre Bioussa, rugby union player (born 1901).
 * 21 September – Paul Reynaud, politician and lawyer (born 1878).
 * 28 September – André Breton, writer, poet, and surrealist theorist (born 1896).

October to December

 * 6 October – Pierre Couderc, screenwriter, actor, acrobat and film producer (born 1896).
 * 8 October – Célestin Freinet, pedagogue, and educational reformer (born 1896).
 * 10 October
 * Robert Desoille, psychotherapist (born 1890).
 * Louise Thuliez, resistance fighter in World War I and World War II (born 1881)
 * 17 October – Cléo de Mérode, dancer (born 1875).
 * 28 October – Robert Charpentier, cyclist and Olympic gold medallist (born 1916).

Full date unknown

 * Charles Catteau, industrial designer (born 1880).
 * Frédéric Justin Collet, pathologist and otolaryngologist (born 1870).
 * Louis Couffignal, mathematician and cybernetics pioneer (born 1902).
 * Edmond Locard, pioneer in forensic science (born 1877).