NORAD defends North America by tracking everything that flies in and around Canada and the United States.
On December 24 of each year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command adds a special mission: follow and protect Santa Claus.
The mission with Santa began by accident: In 1955, a child trying to contact Santa dialed the misspelled phone number from a department store ad in the local newspaper. Instead of calling Santa, the boy called the operations center of the Continental Air Defense Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup (photo), the commander on duty that night who answered the boy's call, immediately realized that a mistake had been made and assured him that it was Santa Claus.
After more incoming calls, Shoup assigned a duty officer to continue answering the calls and a tradition was born, one that has continued since NORAD was formed in 1958. Every year since then, NORAD has diligently reported Santa's whereabouts. on December 24 to millions of children and families around the world.
Each year, the NORAD Tracks Santa website receives several million unique visitors from more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Volunteers on average answer more than 130.000 calls to NORAD Tracks Santa Hotline by children all over the world.
You can track Santa's real-time location on the night of December 24 through the site https://www.noradsanta.org/
Images: NORAD Tracks Santa
