This Day In History: William Herschel discovers Uranus, March 13, 1781
INVENTIONS & SCIENCE
1781
William Hershel discovers Uranus
The German-born English astronomer William Herschel discovers Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun. Herschel’s discovery of a new planet was the first to be made in modern times, and also the first to be made by use of a telescope, which allowed Herschel to distinguish Uranus ...read more
RUSSIA
1881
Czar Alexander II assassinated in St. Petersburg
Czar Alexander II, the ruler of Russia since 1855, is killed in the streets of St. Petersburg by a bomb thrown by a member of the revolutionary “People’s Will” group. The People’s Will, organized in 1879, employed terrorism and assassination in their attempt to overthrow Russia’s ...read more
US GOVERNMENT
1942
U.S. Army launches K-9 Corps
On March 13, 1942, the Quartermaster Corps (QMC) of the United States Army begins training dogs for the newly established War Dog Program, or “K-9 Corps.” Well over a million dogs served on both sides during World War I, carrying messages along the complex network of trenches and ...read more
ART, LITERATURE, AND FILM HISTORY
1965
Eric Clapton leaves the Yardbirds
In and of itself, one man leaving one band in the middle of the 1960s might warrant little more than a historical footnote. But what makes the departure of Eric Clapton from the Yardbirds on March 13, 1965, more significant is the long and complicated game of musical chairs it ...read more
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ART, LITERATURE, AND FILM HISTORY
2005
Disney names Robert Iger as new chief executive
Explanation:
