Harald Bluetooth

Born into Viking royalty, Harald Gormsson, better known as Harald Bluetooth, ruled as King of Denmark from around 958 and Norway from around 970. He's credited with uniting the Danish tribes and extending his dominion over parts of Norway, effectively laying the groundwork for a more centralized Scandinavian kingdom. He also made the rather significant career move of converting to Christianity, establishing the first archdiocese in Denmark and overseeing the transition from Norse paganism. Talk about a pivot!

Harald is probably best known today for something completely unrelated to longships or sagas: Bluetooth technology. The wireless standard, designed to unite disparate communication protocols, was named after him due to his historical feat of uniting the Scandinavian tribes. It seems his legacy now involves countless devices trying to "pair" with each other, often with just as much frustration as uniting warring factions.

His achievements include constructing impressive fortifications, like the Trelleborg fortresses, and erecting the famous Jelling stones, which proclaim his unification of Denmark and his Christian conversion. While his actual Jewish bona fides are, shall we say, non-existent, one could argue his ability to bring disparate elements together, even digitally, has a certain universal appeal. Still, that doesn't make him a landsman.