The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is again preparing to track Santa’s journey around the globe on Christmas Eve.
The tradition began back in 1955 by mistake.
As NORAD tells it, a newspaper advertisement informed children they could call Santa directly – only the contact number in the ad was misprinted. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center.
U.S. Air Force Col Harry Shoup answered the call. Realizing it was a mistake, he nevertheless assured the child he was Santa. He then assigned a duty officer to continue answering calls.
A tradition was born.
NORAD was formed in 1958 and each year since has reported Santa’s location on December 24 to millions of children and families.
“In addition to our day-to-day mission of defending North America, we are proud to carry on the tradition of tracking Santa as he travels along his yuletide flight path,” says NORAD commander Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy.
You can track Santa’s path here and get up-to-date reports on his location on Christmas Eve by calling 1-877-NORAD.
Also visit Google Santa Tracker
