In 1955, a child following a Sears advertisement reached the Continental Air Defense Command after a one-digit error in the telephone number. The caller asked Colonel Harry Shoup whether Santa was safe. After offering reassurance, Shoup considered how CONAD should answer other worried children. The command announced that American Army, Navy, Marine, and air forces would track and guard Santa during his journey. NORAD later inherited the tradition, which began with an accidental call and a practical response to public concern.
Chapter · 13:49-15:27
How a 1955 phone call led to NORAD Santa tracking
A misprinted Sears telephone number connected a child with CONAD in 1955 and helped establish the military tradition now known as NORAD Tracks Santa.