When did NORAD begin tracking Santa?

The tradition started in 1955 when a child accidentally called NORAD after seeing a newspaper ad that listed a phone number and encouraged children to call Santa. As the boy called NORAD, during a time when the agency was focused on protecting the country from a potential nuclear war, Air Force Col. Harry W. Shoup answered the phone. The boy, according to Shoup, told him his Christmas list, but then realized something is wrong.

“He went on a little bit, and he takes a breath, then says, ‘Hey, you’re not Santa,’” Shoup told the AP in 1999.

Shoup, however, played along because he didn’t want to disappoint the child.

“Ho, ho, ho! Yes, I am Santa Claus. Have you been a good boy?” Shoup said he told the boy.

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