Mars, being visible to the naked eye was known to the ancient civilizations. The Babylonians named it “Nergal” or the star of the death. The Egyptians called it ‘Her decher’ or the Red One. The Greeks named it Ares, the god of war. It was the Romans who gave the planet its present name, Mars. The planet has been visible to the humans since very long time as a red dot in the sky, so it is difficult to give the credit for its discovery to a single person.