Even though it’s not entirely clear when the Milky Way got its name, we do know that it dates back to Ancient Greece, Matthew Stanley, a professor of the history of science at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University told Live Science.
According to Greek mythology, Zeus brought baby Hercules to his wife Hera, who was sleeping at the time, so the infant could secretly breastfeed. At one point Hera woke up and pulled away, causing her breastmilk to spray into the night sky, thereby creating the Milky Way.