Vienna, Austria: Liebenberg Monument

Dates have been part of the educational system forever. You can't get out of an American school without learning all about 1776. In Austria, an equivalent might be 1683.

The Ottoman Empire had its eye on Vienna, and was threatening to take over the city - the jewel of the Habsburg Empire. If it had succeeded, European history would have taken a much different direction. But the Austrians survived, in part because of the help of the Polish Army. But the man most responsible for the city remaining unconquered is the city's mayor, Johann Andreas von Liebenberg. His leadership helped the population survive some difficult times.

There's one sad footnote to that story. Liebenberg died only a couple of days before the Polish army arrived. So he didn't live to see the outcome of the battle.

Two hundred years later, there was a debate on how to salute the anniversary. Vienna came up with the idea that paid tribute to Liebenberg but also gave some credit to the people of the city. And that's Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory on top of it.