Every year NORAD track Santa’s progress as he makes his way across the globe delivering presents. You can view his progress on their website. How did this start?
In 1955 a general at CONAD (Continental Air Defense Command) in Colorado, USA received a call on a top-secret hotline. Bracing himself for news of a missile attack, the general instead heard the voice of a young boy asking, “Are you really Santa Claus?” The child had mis-dialled the number that had been published in a Santa Hotline advertisement in a local newspaper.
Instead of dismissing the incident, CONAD saw a PR opportunity and embraced the role as the official Santa Tracker, using its massive satellite network once a year to broadcast Santa’s exact whereabouts. The tradition has continued and grown every year since, now with dedicated phone lines and a website.
CONAD was renamed the North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD in 1958. Every year, 1,500 NORAD troops and volunteers answer phone lines on Christmas Eve giving progress reports on Santa’s whereabouts..
You can track Santa’s live progess on Christmas Eve at www.noradsanta.org
