Heinrich von Stephan, German postman, founded the Universal Postal Union (died 1897)

Ernst Heinrich Wilhelm von Stephan was a general post director for the German Empire who reorganized the German postal service. He was integral in the founding of the Universal Postal Union in 1874, and in 1877 introduced the telephone to Germany.

The Universal Postal Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations and facilitates a uniform worldwide postal system. It has 192 member states and is headquartered in Bern, Switzerland.

January 7 is the seventh day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 358 days remain until the end of the year.