'The PR guys hated the name': The 1k-year-old story behind Bluetooth
5 hours ago
- Bluetooth technology is named after Viking king Harald Gormsson (Harald Bluetooth), who ruled Denmark in the 10th century.
- Harald Bluetooth united Denmark and Norway, converted the Danes to Christianity, and commissioned the larger Jelling runestone, which is considered Denmark's birth certificate.
- The Jelling mounds, runic stones, and church became Denmark's first UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994.
- In the 1990s, Intel engineer Jim Kardach proposed "Bluetooth" as a codename for a technology uniting different devices, inspired by Harald's unification of tribes.
- The Bluetooth logo combines the Norse runes for 'H' and 'B' in honor of Harald Bluetooth, and despite PR concerns, the name became iconic.