| |
| 1989, July 14 |
| |
| The Bastille Day celebration in France attracted the world's attention as the culmination of a year-long celebration of the bicentennial of the French Revolution. | 1 |
| |
| Sept. 20 |
| |
| The state-owned TGV Atlantique railway began operating between Paris and Le Mans, offering passenger service at up to 186 miles per hour. TGV lines to Tours and the Loire Valley began the following year. | 2 |
| |
| Dec. 31 |
| |
| Mitterrand called for a European Confederation, reminiscent of de Gaulle's call for a united Europe, from the Atlantic to the Urals. | 3 |
| By the late 1980s, 70 percent of electricity in France was produced by nuclear reactors and France had the second largest nuclear power industry in the world. | 4 |
| |
| |
