Pierre Giffard
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Pierre Giffard (1 May 1853 – 21 January 1922) was a French journalist, a pioneer of modern political reporting, a newspaper publisher and a prolific sports organiser. In 1892, he was appointed Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'Honneur and in 1900 he was appointed an Officier (Officer) of the Légion d'Honneur.
Pierre Giffard | |
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Born | (1853-05-01)1 May 1853 Fontaine-le-Dun, Seine-Maritime, France |
Died | 21 January 1922(1922-01-21) (aged 68) |
Nationality | French |
Other names | Arator at Le Vélo Jean-sans-Terre at Le Petit Journal |
Occupation(s) | Journalist, editor, historian, author, politician |
Parisian newspapers used sporting events as circulation aids, and Giffard created the Paris–Brest–Paris cycle race in 1891, the 380 kilometre Paris–Belfort running race in 1892,[1] the world's first car race from Paris to Rouen in 1894,[2] the Paris Marathon in 1896, and a foot-race from Bordeaux to Paris in 1903.[1]
Giffard served as the editor of Le Petit Journal and then the sports daily Le Vélo, where his passionate support for Alfred Dreyfus and thus his opposition to the car-maker Comte Jules-Albert de Dion over the whole Dreyfus affair led de Dion to create a rival daily, L'Auto, which in turn created the Tour de France cycle race.