1938 – Born on August 20th in La Rochelle, France. Chretien became the first astronaut from outside of either the United States or Russia to carry out extravehicular activities (EVA).
1957 – Married to Aline Chrétien on September 10th and had 3 children.
1961 – Chretien graduated from the L’Ecole de l’Air (French Air Force Academy) and received a master’s degree in aeronautic engineering.
1970 – He became a fighter pilot in the French Air Force, entered the French test pilot school.
1977 – Worked as a test pilot, he was made a deputy commander of the Southern Air Defense Division in Provence.
1980 – He became an astronaut and was one of the final two candidates in a joint French-Soviet space project.
1993 – Elected Canadian Prime Minister in November.
1995 – He was appointed chief of CNES’ astronaut’s office, then posted to the NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
1997 – Took part in the Space Shuttle mission.
2003 – Stepped down as Prime Minister of Canada. Replaced by Paul Martin.
2004 – Accepted a position at the Ottawa Law Firm that formerly employed the late Pierre Elliot Trudeau.