uranus88Snificant Events. March 13, 1781: British astronomer William Herschel discovers Uranus – the first new planet discovered since ancient times – while searching for faint stars. 1787-1851: Four Uranian moons are discoveredIn Greek mythology, Uranus ( ˈ j ʊər ə n ə s YOOR-ə-nəs, also j ʊ ˈ r eɪ n ə s yoo-RAY-nəs), [2] sometimes written Ouranos (Ancient Greek: Οὐρανός, lit. 'sky', ), is the personification of the sky and one of the Greek primordial