History of the Santa Tracker: How a Typo began Christmas tracking at NORAD

Original Sears ad. Image: NORAD Santa

HISTORY OF THE NORAD SANTA TRACKER

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How did a typo in my local newspaper erroneously connect to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center, at NORAD here in Colorado Springs, with requests for the flight location of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve in 1955 — and in the 70 years since?

And how can you check in on Santa this year?

NORAD Santa Tracker

In 1955, the Continental Air Defense Command’s home would eventually become NORAD in 1958. You’ve probably heard of NORAD in movies like Dr. Strangelove, Fail-Safe, WarGames, and ID-4. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a joint U.S./Canadian military installation that sits 1,600 feet deep inside Cheyenne Mountain here in Colorado Springs.

Missile Command Center, NORAD. This is a declassified photo of the old one in Cheyenne Mountain. Image: Colorado Online

When it was built in the late ’50s and early ’60s, it was intended to withstand a nuclear blast outside. Even in this day of MIRV nuclear missiles, NORAD maintains its reputation as a self-contained bunker and, for years, has been responsible for scanning the airspace above North America for missiles, aircraft, and near-space objects.

I’ve visited the missile command center and seen the Missile Command “big board” during operations, though the displays have only unclassified information when visitors look in.

A Phone Call to Santa

Colonel Harry Shoup. Image: NORAD Santa

During the Christmas holiday season in 1955, Sears advertised in the local Colorado Springs Gazette newspaper, inviting kids to call in to talk with Santa. The ad had a typo in a single telephone number digit—or a child transposed two of the numbers—that took calls directly to the top-secret red crisis phone line of Colonel Harry Shoup, the officer on duty that night. Only a four-star general at the Pentagon had that number.

The first call was from a young child, and Shoup was annoyed and thought it was a joke when the child asked to speak to Santa… until the little voice began to cry. Shoup entertained the child with “Ho ho hos” and asked him to talk with the mother when he learned of the newspaper advertisement. He instructed his airmen staff to furnish intelligence on the location of Santa’s sleigh ride from the North Pole to several callers that night. According to his daughter, Shoup called the local radio station and said

“This is the commander at the Combat Alert Center, and we have an unidentified flying object. Why, it looks like a sleigh.”

Soon, radio stations called him hourly and asked, “Where’s Santa now?” and a tradition was born.

Another version of the story is that the call came in on November 30. Though initially unwilling, Shoup saw a P.R. opportunity and ensured the Press learned that “CONAD, Army, Navy, and Marine Air Forces will continue to track and guard Santa and his sleigh on his trip to and from the U.S. against possible attack from those who do not believe in Christmas.” This being the middle of the Cold War, the story went “viral,” as they say.

Santa Tracker Volunteers

NORAD Tracks Santa logo. Image: NORAD Santa

Fifteen hundred volunteers, including one year the former President and First Lady, handle over 150,000 phone calls and over 12,000 emails each Christmas Eve.

People from local churches volunteer to take calls along with other military and civilian volunteers. Over 19 million visitors from 200 countries check Santa’s whereabouts on the website. With various web and mobile technologies, you can check in on Santa via NORAD using the options below. Tune in at midnight annually on December 23:

• Email: noradtrackssanta@outlook.com
• Web: noradsanta.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noradsanta
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noradtrackssanta_official
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/NORADTracksSanta
• Twitter/X: @noradsanta
• Apple App Store app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/norad-tracks-santa-claus/id1181633163
• Phone: 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723)
• (Alternative) Google’s Santa Tracker: https://santatracker.google.com

Over the years, Airmen have staffed the phone, continuing the tradition. A friend of mine tells his story on Quora here.

By the way: this is not your tax dollars at work. The program relies on volunteers and corporate sponsorship. It has continued to run through U.S. government shutdowns and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Merry Christmas!

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com

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