These days, almost everyone uses Bluetooth technology in some way. What is it, and why does it have such an unconventional name? Every teenager from TikTok to Twitter has posted about this so much that I almost didn’t bother writing my own. But since most people don’t go more than a few sentences into it, I decided to anyway.

First, let’s cover what exactly Bluetooth is and why it was invented. The “short-link” radio technology was initially thought up in 1989 to allow headsets to be wireless. By 1998, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group was founded by IBM, Ericcson, Intel, Nokia, and Toshiba. The first commercial product was available in 1999.

For an easy comparison, Bluetooth is a lot like WiFi. The main differences are that Bluetooth operates at a lower frequency of the UHF band compared to WiFi, with a more limited range. It is intended to wirelessly connect things like speakers, earbuds, appliances, or your Amazon remote – as opposed to networking an entire house. Most Bluetooth transceivers have a range of about 30 feet (10 meters). This allows the technology to consume comparatively little power. Many Bluetooth applications have replaced the functionality that was previously handled by infrared, like television remotes or gaming controllers. This has become very handy, allowing you to operate your device without having to physically point the remote at a receiver.

Ok, so Bluetooth is like a mini WiFi network, but why is it called Bluetooth of all things? Well, we have a very creative tech guy from Intel named Jim Kardach to thank. He proposed the name back in 1997 after a conversation he had with Sven Mattisson about a Danish King from 1000 years ago.

Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson lived at the end of the 10th century and was a very busy guy. He is probably most well-known for uniting Scandinavia, specifically Denmark and Sweden. His influence also included what is today northern Poland, Germany, and France – and also Norway. He united people like his namesake technology unites wireless devices. If that isn’t impressive enough, good ol’ King Harald also brought Christianity to his lands and introduced the first system of currency. I don’t think this guy slept much.

If you’re like me, you’ve noticed the Bluetooth logo on your phone a thousand times and never really put any thought into it. As it turns out, that logo is King Harald’s initials “H B” in Nordic Runes. You have to give credit to those guys from IBM, etc. – they did their homework.