NORAD’s Santa Tracker started in 1955

“A local Sears store in Colorado Springs ran a dial Santa ad in 1955. However, the number was a misprint. Instead of listing the number for Sears’ Santa hotline, it posted the number for the Continental Air Defense Command Center.

On Christmas Eve 1955, Colonel Harry Shoup began receiving calls while working at NORAD from kids asking to speak with Santa Claus. Instead of telling the kids that they dialed the wrong number, Shoup said that he wasn’t Santa Claus but he could track him on radar.

All night, Shoup and his team fielded calls, giving kids details about Santa’s location as he and his reindeer flew through the sky to deliver gifts to children.”