2005 in France

Years in France:	2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Centuries:	20th century · 21st century · 22nd century
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Years:	2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Events from the year 2005 in France.

Incumbents

• President: Jacques Chirac
• Prime Minister: Jean-Pierre Raffarin (until 31 May), Dominique de Villepin (starting 31 May)

Events

• 5 January – Libération journalist Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi guide Hussein Hanoun Al-Saadi are taken hostage in Iraq (freed on 11 June).
• 11 February – André Vingt-Trois is named Archbishop of Paris.
• 23 February – A controversial French law on colonialism, requiring teachers to paint it in a positive light, is passed by the national legislature.
• 25 February – Resignation of Minister of Finance Hervé Gaymard, following a scandal over the low rent of the exclusive apartment he occupied.
• March – The Renault Laguna gets facelifted.
• 31 March – An amendment to the 35-hour workweek law is voted, extending possibilities of overtime.
• April – The Fillon law reforming France's education system is voted, amidst student protests numbering hundreds of thousands.
• 6 April – First mental 13th root calculation of a 200-digit number, computed by Alexis Lemaire.
• 15 April – At least 21 people die and around 50 are injured in a devastating fire at a hotel in central Paris.
• 27 April – First flight of Airbus A380 in Toulouse.
• 28 April – Sales begin of the Peugeot 1007 mini MPV.
• 16 May – Pentecost Monday ceases to be a statutory holiday, leading to strong protests.
• 29 May – French referendum on the European Constitution votes resoundingly to reject it.
• 31 May – A new government, headed by Dominique de Villepin, is nominated.
• June – The Peugeot 307 gets facelifted.
• 28 June – Official announcement that ITER will be built in Cadarache, Southern France.
• 5 July – Laurence Parisot becomes the president of the Mouvement des Entreprises de France.
• 2 August – Air France Flight 358 bursts into flames after skidding off the end of runway in Toronto, all passengers survive.
• 11 August – Ariane 5GS launches Thaïcom-4/iPStar-1, the heaviest telecommunications satellite to date at 6505 kg, into orbit.
• 16 August – West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 crashes in Venezuela, killing 160, mostly French citizens from Martinique.
• 16 August – Assassination of Frère Roger, founder of the Taizé community.
• September – New Renault Clio is launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
• 3 September – Jacques Chirac is hospitalized for a "small vascular incident" affecting his eyesight.
• 27 October – 2005 civil unrest in France begins, and will last until 17 November.
• November – The Renault Clio is voted European Car of the Year.
• 8 November – President Jacques Chirac declares a state of emergency on the 12th day of the French civil unrest.
• 16 November – Ariane 5 launches Spaceway-F2 and Telkom-2, the rocket's heaviest dual payload to date, at more than 8000 kg.
• 18 November – Partial privatization of Électricité de France.
• 27 November – Surgeons in France carry out the first human face transplant on Isabelle Dinoire.

Arts and literature

• 17 March – René Girard is elected to the Académie Française.
• 24 March – Celebration of the 100-years anniversary of the death of Jules Verne.
• 31 March – Launch of Digital terrestrial television, with 14 new channels.
• 2 July – Live 8 concert, Paris at the Palais de Versailles.
• 26 August – Jean Michel Jarre's "Space of Freedom" concert is held in Gdańsk, Poland, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the creation of Solidarność.

Film

• 2005 Cannes Film Festival
• March of the Penguins

Sport

• 8 May – Olympique Lyonnais wins the Ligue 1.
• 2 July – Tour de France begins.
• 3 July – French Grand Prix won by Fernando Alonso of Spain.
• 6 July – Paris loses the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games to London.
• 24 July – Lance Armstrong wins a record seventh straight Tour de France before his scheduled retirement.
• Sébastien Loeb wins the World Rally Championship with a record 10 victories.
• Ladji Doucouré becomes world champion of 110 metres hurdles and 4x100 metres relay at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
• Vincent Riou wins the Vendée Globe race in 87 days.

Births

Full date unknown

• Bébé Lilly, animated baby girl singer

Deaths

January to March

• 3 January – Claude Meillassoux, economic anthropologist and Africanist (born 1925).
• 5 January – René Le Hénaff, film editor and director (born 1901).
• 7 January – Pierre Daninos, writer and humorist (born 1913).
• 8 January – Jacqueline Joubert, television presenter (born 1921).
• 8 January – Michel Thomas, linguist, language teacher and decorated war veteran (born 1914).
• 10 January – Georges Bernier, also known as Le Professeur Choron, humorist (born 1929).
• 11 January – Fernand Cazenave, international rugby union player and coach (born 1924).
• 15 January – Michel Moine, journalist and parapsychologist (born 1920).
• 27 January – Aurélie Nemours, painter (born 1910).
• 28 January
  • Jacques Villeret, actor (born 1951).
  • Karen Lancaume, adult film star (born 1973).
• February – Madeleine Giteau, historian (born 1918).
• 6 February – Hubert Curien, physicist (born 1924).
• 7 February
  • Madeleine Rebérioux, historian (born 1920).
  • Paul Rebeyrolle, painter (born 1926).
• 10 February
  • Humbert Balsan, film producer (born 1954).
  • Jean Cayrol, poet and publisher (born 1911).
• 11 February – Raymond Hermantier, actor (born 1924).
• 13 February – Maurice Trintignant, motor racing driver (born 1917).
• 15 February – Pierre Bachelet, singer songwriter (born 1944).
• 22 February – Simone Simon, actress (born 1910).
• 25 February – Jean Prat, international rugby player (born 1923).
• 1 March – Edouard Stern, banker (born 1954).
• 15 March – Jean-Pierre Genet, cyclist (born 1940).

April to June

• 8 April – Maurice Lafont, international soccer player (born 1927).
• 11 April
  • André François, cartoonist (born 1915).
  • Lucien Laurent, international soccer player, scored the first ever World Cup goal (born 1907).
• 3 May – Pierre Moerlen, drummer and percussionist (born 1952).
• 5 May – Claude Julien, journalist and editor (born 1925).
• 13 May – Eddie Barclay, music producer (born 1921).
• 20 May – Paul Ricœur, philosopher (born 1913).
• 29 June – François-Xavier Verschave, one of founders of the NGO Survie (born 1945).

July to September

• 2 July – Pierre Michelot, double bass player (born 1928).
• 6 July – Claude Simon, novelist, 1985 Nobel Laureate in Literature (born 1913).
• 8 July – Laurent-Michel Vacher, philosopher, writer and journalist (born 1944).
• 19 July
  • Alain Bombard, biologist, physician, politician and sailor (born 1924).
  • Jean-Michel Gaillard, politician (born 1946).
• 26 July – Pierre Broué, historian and Trotskyist (born 1926).
• 28 July – Jacques Lacarrière, ice hockey player (born 1906).
• 3 August – Françoise d'Eaubonne, feminist writer (born 1920).
• 7 August – Paul Arnaud de Foïard, General (born 1921).
• 9 August
  • Colette Besson, Olympic athlete (born 1946).
  • François Dalle, businessman
• 16 August – Frère Roger, founder of the Taizé community (born 1915).
• 22 August
  • Henri Genès, actor and singer (born 1919).
  • Luc Ferrari, composer (born 1929).
• 25 August – Jacques Dufilho, actor (born 1914).
• 31 August
  • Stéphane Bruey, international soccer player (born 1932).
  • André Debry, one of the last surviving French veterans of World War I (born 1898).
• 9 September – André Pousse, actor (born 1919).
• 17 September – Jacques Lacarrière, writer, critic, journalist, and essayist (born 1925).
• 24 September – André Testut, motor racing driver (born 1926).

October to December

• 5 October – Alexis Tendil, World War I veteran (born 1896).
• 17 October – Jean Lescure, poet (born 1912).
• 25 October – Arman, artist (born 1928).
• 27 October
  • Jean-Claude Irvoas, murder victim (born 1949).
  • Rene Moreau, World War I veteran.
• 28 October – Raymond Hains, artist and photographer (born 1926).
• 7 November – Jean-Jacques Le Chenadec, urban violence victim (born 1944).
• 9 November
  • Jean Catoire, composer (born 1923).
  • Marceau Somerlinck, soccer player (born 1922).
• November – Dominique Chaboche, politician and MEP (born 1937).
• 4 December – Gloria Lasso, singer (born 1922).
• 17 December – Jacques Fouroux, international rugby union player, coach (born 1947).

Full date unknown

• Ernestine Chassebœuf, letter writer (born 1910).