Every Christmas season, millions of children around the world eagerly await Santa Claus's departure from the North Pole to deliver gifts to their homes. What's special is that they can not only imagine his journey, but also track Santa's path live through the NORAD Santa Tracker system – a tradition that has existed for 70 years.
NORAD tracks Santa Claus's journey in the 69th year of the program at Peterson Space Base, Colorado. (Source: Thomas Paul)
The NORAD Santa Tracker originated from a mix-up in 1955, when a young girl mistakenly called the CONAD (the predecessor of NORAD) hotline to ask for Santa Claus's location. Colonel Harry Shoup, who was on duty that day, decided to answer, thus starting a special tradition. To this day, NORAD – the North American Aerospace Defense Command – continues this operation as a "special mission" on Christmas Eve.
Today, NORAD Santa Tracker has become a global program. Children and families in any country can access the official website noradsanta.org to track Santa's location in real time. The website supports nine languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, and Korean, making it easy for children from diverse cultural backgrounds to participate.
In addition to online maps, NORAD also provides a mobile app for Android and iOS, allowing users to track Santa Claus directly on their phones. On December 24th, children everywhere can call the toll-free number +1-877-HI-NORAD to receive updates on Santa Claus's location from volunteers.
A 1955 Sears advertisement inadvertently sparked the NORAD tradition of tracking Santa Claus, when a wrong phone number caused children to mistakenly call the air defense center. (Source: NORAD Public Affairs)
More than just a tracking tool, NORAD Santa Tracker offers a rich entertainment experience: games, Christmas music, cartoons, and even a virtual "Arctic village." This transforms tracking Santa into a fun family activity, connecting children globally in a single magical moment.
From a mistaken phone call 70 years ago, the NORAD Santa Tracker has become a global cultural icon, bringing excitement and belief in the magic of Christmas to children everywhere.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/norad-va-hanh-trinh-70-nam-theo-doi-ong-gia-noel-ar992853.html
Comment (0)