1939 in France

Events from the year 1939 in France.

Incumbents

• President: Albert Lebrun
• President of the Council of Ministers: Édouard Daladier

Events

• 27 February – United Kingdom and France recognize Franco's government in Spain.
• 17 June – Last public guillotining in France – murderer Eugen Weidmann.
• 3 September – United Kingdom, France, New Zealand and Australia declare war on Germany.

Sport

• 10 July – Tour de France begins.
• 30 July – Tour de France ends, won by Sylvère Maes of Belgium.

Births

• 1 February – Claude François, singer-songwriter (died 1978)
• 29 March – Roland E. Arnall, businessman and diplomat in the United States (died 2008)
• 3 April – François de Roubaix, film score composer (died 1975)
• 9 May – Pierre Desproges, humorist (died 1988)
• 24 June – Brigitte Fontaine, singer, writer and poet
• 22 July – Warda Al-Jazairia, born Warda Mohammed Ftouki, singer (died 2012 in Egypt)
• 31 July – France Nuyen, actress
• 9 August – Bulle Ogier, actress
• 30 September – Jean-Marie Lehn, chemist, shared Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1987
• 6 November – Maurice Bourgue (died 2023)
• 30 December – Odile Bailleux, harsichordist and organist (died 2024)

Deaths

• 23 February – Jules-Felix Coutan, sculptor (born 1848)
• 29 March – Henri Bénard, physicist (born 1874)
• 5 April – Clémentine Delait, bearded lady (born 1865)
• 16 September – Otto Wels, German politician (born 1873)
• 14 October – Polaire (Emilie Marie Bouchaud), singer and actress (born 1874)
• 5 November – Charles Barrois, geologist and palaeontologist (born 1851)

See also

• List of French films of 1939