1881 in France

Events

13 February – First issue of the feminist newspaper La Citoyenne is published by Hubertine Auclert.
23 March – A fire caused by a gas explosion destroys the Opéra de Nice with fatalities.
April – Sixth Impressionist exhibition in Paris, at Nadar's studio.^[1]
12 May – Treaty of Bardo is signed between the French Republic and Tunisian bey Muhammed as-Sadiq. Tunisia becomes a French protectorate.
29 July – Law on the Freedom of the Press is passed.
15 August–15 November – International Exposition of Electricity staged in Paris. Among new developments demonstrated is Clément Ader's stereophonic théâtrophone.^[2]
13 October – Determined to bring about the revival of the Hebrew language as a way of unifying Jews, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda has what is believed to be the first conversation in Modern Hebrew, with friends living in Paris.

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Births

11 January – Lucien Rosengart, engineer (died 1976)
21 January – André Godard, archeologist and architect (died 1965)
19 February – Paul Tournon, architect (died 1964)
20 February – Julien Maitron, cyclist (died 1972)
21 February – Marc Boegner, theologist, pastor, French Resistance member and essayist (died 1970)
18 March – Paul Le Flem, composer and musician (died 1984)
23 March – Roger Martin du Gard, author, winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize for Literature (died 1958)
12 April – Élisée Maclet, painter (died 1962)
1 May - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, paleontologist, Jesuit priest (died 1955)
21 June – Camille Drevet, anti-colonialist, feminist and pacifist activist (died 1969)
27 June – Jérôme Carcopino, historian and author (died 1970)
29 July – Paul Couturier, priest and promoter of the concept of Christian unity (died 1953)
7 August – François Darlan, Admiral (died 1942)
10 October – Gaston Ragueneau, athlete and Olympic medallist (died 1978)
4 November – Gaby Deslys, dancer and actress (died 1920)
8 November – Robert Esnault-Pelterie, pioneering aircraft designer (died 1957)
5 December – René Cresté, actor and director (died 1922)
12 December - Louise Thuliez, resistance fighter in World War I and World War II (died 1966)^[3]

Incumbents