Birth of Henri Bergson
Henri Bergson is born in Paris to a Polish father and an English mother.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Henri Bergson Biography and Timeline
Follow Henri Bergson through 11 dated historical records for France.
Henri Bergson, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
11Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1859–1941Years on this page
1859
1878
Ecole Normale Superieure
Bergson enters the Ecole Normale Superieure to study philosophy and the humanities.
1881
Agregation in Philosophy
Bergson passes the competitive philosophy examination and begins teaching in provincial lycees.
1889
Time and Free Will
Bergson publishes Time and Free Will, distinguishing lived duration from spatialised clock time.
Time and Free Will
Publication of "Time & Free Will"
1896
Matter and Memory
Bergson publishes Matter and Memory, examining perception, memory and the relation between mind and body.
1900
College de France
Bergson is appointed to a chair at the College de France.
1907
Creative Evolution
Bergson publishes Creative Evolution, presenting life as an open-ended creative process.
1914
French Academy
Bergson is elected to the French Academy during the height of his international influence.
1927
Nobel Prize in Literature
Bergson receives the Nobel Prize in Literature for his rich and vitalising ideas.
1941
Death of Henri Bergson
Henri Bergson dies in occupied Paris, aged eighty-one.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.