13 March in history.

1781

A new planet from a back garden. Using a telescope he built himself, William Herschel spotted Uranus from his garden in Bath, England. It was the first planet found with a telescope.

Wikipedia: William Herschel

Photo: Lemuel Francis Abbott / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

More from 13 March

1. 

   1639

   Harvard gets its name

   The young college in Massachusetts was named after John Harvard, a minister who left it his library and half of his money.

   Wikipedia: Harvard CollegeWikipedia: John Harvard

   Photo: alainedouard / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

2. 

   1845

   Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto

   Felix Mendelssohn's concerto was first played in Leipzig by his friend, violinist Ferdinand David. Violinists still love to play it today.

   Wikipedia: Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)Wikipedia: Felix Mendelssohn

   Photo: Eduard Magnus / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

3. 

   1988

   The Seikan Tunnel opens

   A railway tunnel almost 54 kilometres long opened under the sea between two Japanese islands, Honshu and Hokkaido.

   Wikipedia: Seikan Tunnel

   Photo: Risto Kaijaluoto / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

4. 

   2003

   The "Devil's footprints"

   Scientists explained that ancient footprints on an Italian volcano, long called the Devil's trails, were left by early humans about 350,000 years ago.

   Wikipedia: Ciampate del Diavolo

   Photo: edmondo gnerre / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Moments chosen for discovery, creativity and courage. Each one links to a source where you can read more; photos are credited to their owners.