Tagesspiegel: January 1, 1997: The motorway vignette comes into force for Austria
1877: Queen Victoria of England is crowned Empress of India.
1892: The municipal district offices of Greater Vienna begin their work.
1912: Connection of the entire Vienna urban area (with the exception of a part of the former local communities Altmannsdorf, Hetzendorf, Inzersdorf and Mauer) to the urban lighting. The total stock of public lighting is over 37,000 lanterns, the number of lantern keepers is 679. In the same year, the first ignition and extinguishing clocks are used, which gradually replace the lantern lighters.
1922: Hungary takes over Ödenburg and seven municipalities in the area. Vienna is separated from Lower Austria and becomes an independent federal state, the mayor at the same time provincial governor.
1942: In Washington, 26 states are authorized to sign the pact of the United Nations and the treaty not to conclude a separate peace with Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and Japan.
1962: Deutschlandfunk begins its program.
1972: Kurt Waldheim takes up his post as the fourth Secretary General of the United Nations. He replaces the Burmese U Thant.
1972: The 42-hour working week comes into force in Austria.
1982: Arthur Schnitzler’s drama “Reigen” is being performed again on German-speaking stages for the first time. After the premiere in 1920, the author imposed a performance ban in 1922. The protection period for the protected work ends 50 years after his death.
1982: The Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar takes up his post as UN Secretary-General.
1987: Austria becomes a full member of the European Space Agency (ESA).
1987: The catalytic converter is mandatory for new registrations of vehicles with a displacement of more than 1.5 liters. From October 1st, this also applies to cars with a smaller displacement.
1992: The “driving license on trial” comes into force. Anyone who commits a serious violation of traffic regulations within the two-year probationary period must comply with the request for retraining within a period of two months.
1992: The Egyptian Boutros Boutros-Ghali takes office as the Sixth Secretary General of the United Nations. He is the successor of the Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar.
1992: The German Stasi Records Act, which enables access to the files of the GDR State Security Service, comes into force.
1997: The motorway vignette comes into force for Austria.
1997: The federal forests are outsourced from the federal budget and re-established as Österreichische Bundesforste AG. The Republic of Austria is the sole shareholder.
1997: The Ghanaian Kofi Annan takes up his post as UN Secretary General.
1997: The community service WILL last twelve months with two weeks of vacation instead of the previous eleven months. The examination of conscience is finally abolished. As of January 2006, civilian service will be shortened from twelve to nine months, analogous to the military service.
2007: Romania and Bulgaria are joining the European Union with fireworks and street parties. Slovenia says goodbye to the tolar and introduces the euro as its new national currency. The country is the first of the new EU members who joined in 2004 to join the other twelve countries in the euro zone.
2007: The traditional New Year’s Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic, for the fourth time under the direction of Zubin Mehta, takes place in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein under the motto “Carnival in Venice”.
2007: The art historian Agnes Husslein-Arco takes over the management of the Austrian Gallery Belvedere, replacing Gerbert Frodl in his office.
2007: The veterinarian Dagmar Schratter takes up her position as director of the Schönbrunn zoo as the successor to Helmut Pechlaner.
2007: The South Korean Foreign Minister, Ban Ki Moon, will succeed the Ghanaian Kofi Annan as the eighth Secretary General of the United Nations.
2012: The national anthem will be sung “gender neutral” from now on. Instead of “Home you are great sons”, “Home of great daughters and sons” is sung, in verse three “brother choirs” are replaced by “jubilation choirs”.
2012: The introduction of income-related child benefit comes into force. With this new variant, it is hoped to increase the number of fathers on parental leave. The new form of child benefit can be applied for for all children born on or after October 1, 2009.
2017: 56 prisoners are killed in a prison revolt in Brazil. Rival groups clash in the asylum on the outskirts of Manaus. More than 112 inmates managed to escape. In total, more than 100 people died in fighting in Brazilian prisons in January.
Birthday: Wilhelm Canaris, head chef d. German Defense (1887-1945); Theodor Kramer, east. Lyric poet (1897-1958); Hans von Dohnanyi, German lawyer (1902-1945); Alois Vogel, east. Writer (1922-2005); Maurice Béjart, French dancer / choreographer (1927-2007); Gerda Rogers, east. Astrologer (1942); David Nalbandian, arg. Ex-tennis player (1982).
Days of Death: Maurice Chevalier, French entertainer (1888-1972); Ginette Leclerc, French film actress (according to other information January 2) (1912-1992); Werner Hollweg, German chamber singer (1936-2007).
Name days: Irmengilde, Telemach, Fulgentius, Wilhelm.