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Henri Desgrange

French racing cyclist, journalist and organiser of the first Tour de France (1865–1940)

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Born
January 31, 1865
Died
August 16, 1940
Zodiac sign
Aquarius
Birth year
1865

About Henri Desgrange

Henri Desgrange (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ʁi deɡʁɑ̃ʒ]; 31 January 1865 – 16 August 1940) was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set twelve world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres (21.950 mi) on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France. Desgrange saw his first bicycle race in 1891 when he went to the finish of Bordeaux–Paris. He began racing on the track, but endurance riding suited him better, and he set the first recognised "hour record" when on 11 May 1893 he rode 35.325 kilometres (21.950 mi) on the Buffalo velodrome in Paris.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Henri Desgrange timeline

  1. Desgrange saw his first bicycle race in 1891 when he went to the finish of Bordeaux–Paris.
  2. He set twelve world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres (21.950 mi) on 11 May 1893.
  3. He began racing on the track, but endurance riding suited him better, and he set the first recognised "hour record" when on 11 May 1893 he rode 35.325 kilometres (21.950 mi) on the Buffalo velodrome in Paris.

The world when Henri Desgrange was born

Henri Desgrange was born in 1865. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1865

  • Best-selling bookAlice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Headlines and milestones

  • Top headlineCivil War ends — Lincoln assassinated
  • Technology milestone13th Amendment abolishes slavery
  • World population~1.45B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderAbraham Lincoln / Andrew Johnson
  • U.S. population33.5M

1865 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Henri Desgrange's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure18652026
Population33.5M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Cycling Archives. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.