The invention of Bluetooth was a revolutionary step in technology. It enhanced the utility of mobile phones, and sharing files became a cakewalk. Bluetooth devices arrived, and they gave an entirely new meaning to wireless communication. Though we all remember laughing at the word Bluetooth when it was introduced, we never really pondered over its origin. But it has an interesting story behind it!
You might never have imagined, but Bluetooth was actually the name of a Medieval king, and there’s an interesting reason why the technology was named after him!
Harald Gormsson was a king of Denmark and Norway, and he is credited with building the first bridge in southern Scandinavia. At 5 meters wide and 760 meters long, it was a huge bridge for that time. Bridges were of course useful, and this was the longest known bridge in the Viking era — a prestigious symbol for the builder.
Although it’s debated, some say that Harald was also responsible for converting Denmark to Christianity. But it is fair to say that he was known for amicably bridging the religious following in Denmark from pagan to Christianity.
Like many medieval rulers, he also had a nickname: Blátǫnn in Old Norse (a member of the Germanic family of languages) or Blåtand in Danish. It means Bluetooth. Although it’s debated how the nickname came into being, many scholars believe that King Harald was called Bluetooth because he had a conspicuous dead tooth that literally looked black and blue. Well, makes sense.
King Harald bridged the gap between Christians and Heathens. And, Bluetooth technology is named after King Harald because, like Harald, Bluetooth can bridge the gap between people. And the most important part is that the Bluetooth logo is made up of Harald’s Nordic runes initials.
And this is how, we got this name and the symbol!