The now dwarf planet Pluto is named after the God of the underworld. The name was proposed by a 11-year old Venetia Burney, who lived in Oxford, England and had an interest in classical mythology. Falconer Madan, her grandfather and a former librarian at University of Oxford’s Bodeleian Library, passed it to Herbert Hall Turner, the astronomy professor, who then sent it to his colleagues in the U.S. Once the name was selected on 1 May 1930, Venetia was presented with the reward money of £5.
Image – Mental Floss
