French History This Month - February

• Events:
  • Klaus Barbie extradited to France - 5.02.1988
    Expelled from Bolivia, to stand trial in Lyon for crimes against humanity during WWII
  • France signs treaty with American Colonies - 6.02.1778
    In support of, and to assist the American Revolution
  • Britain declares war on France - 6.02.1778
    For signing pact with American Colonies
  • Jean-Claude "Baby-Doc" flees to France - 7.02.1986
    Haitian dictator; following national antigovernment demonstrations.
  • Peace of Luneville signed - 9.02.1801
    The Holy Roman Empire comes to an end with its signing by Austria and France
  • Treaty of Paris signed - 10.02.1763
    Ending the Seven Years' War
  • Bernadette Subirous has a vision of the Virgin Mary - 11.02.1858
    in Lourdes
  • Britain, Prussia, Austria, Holland, Spain, and Sardinia ally against France - 13.02.1793
    
  • Mata Hari arrested by the French - 13.02.1917
    Dutch spy during WWI
  • First French atom bomb test - 13.02.1974
    takes place in the Sahara
  • Jean-Claude Killy wins 3 gold medals - 17.02.1972
    at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble
  • Napoléon Bonaparte proclaims himself First Consul - 19.02.1800
    
  • Emile Zola jailed - 23.02.1901
    for writing his open letter J'accuse accusing the French government of anti-Semitism and wrongly imprisoning army officer Alfred Dryfus.
• Births:
  • Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord - 2.02.1754 - Statesman and diplomat
  • Fernand Léger - 4.02.1881 - Painter
  • Jacques Prévert - 4.02.1900 - Poet and novelist
  • François Truffaut - 6.02.1932 - Film director
  • Jules Verne - 8.02.1828 - Novelist
  • Honoré Daumier - 20.02.1808 - Painter
  • Voltaire - 20.02.1694 - Writer and philosopher
  • Michel Legrand - 24.02.1932 - Composer, jazz pianist
  • Pierre-Auguste Renoir - 25.02.1841 - Impressionist painter
  • Victor Hugo - 26.02.1802 - Novelist & playwright
  • René Antoine de Réaumur - 28.02.1683 - Scientist and inventor of thermomenter scale
• Deaths:
  • René Descartes - 1.02.1650 -
  • Honoré Daumier - 11.02.1879 - Painter
  • Auguste Escoffier - 12.02.1935 - Chef and Cuisine writer
  • Jean Renoir - 13.02.1979 - Film director
  • Pierre-Paul Prud'hom - 16.02.1823 - Painter
  • Molière - 17.02.1673 - Dramatist
  • André Gide - 19.02.1951 - Novelist
  • Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot - 22.02.1875 - Painter
  • Alphonse de Lamartine - 28.02.1869 - Poet