William Hershel discovered Uranus on March 13, 1781. Herschel, who was knighted for his discovery, named the planet Georgium Sidus, in honor of King George III of England. However, German astronomer Johann Bode proposed the name “Uranus” for the celestial body in order to conform to the classical mythology-derived names of other known planets. Uranus, the ancient Greek deity of the heavens, was a predecessor of the Olympian gods. By the mid-19th century, it was also the generally accepted name of the seventh planet from the sun. Uranus is the only planet whose name is derived from a figure from Greek mythology rather than Roman mythology.