Small wire loop antennas have been in use since the Second World War when these antennas, which have the property of rejecting local electrical interference to focus on far field signals, were first used for military communications in the theatre of war. Since then, mobile communications and broadcasting have evolved and there has been a trend towards miniaturisation as well as the evolution of novel applications of radio technology. Small wire loop antennas with loop circumference that is much smaller then the wavelengths of interest are today used for mobile communication equipment, broadcasting as well as in equipment for body area network applications and for body implants in medicine. This paper provides a review of the recent developments in small wire loop antennas.