Why does Norad track Santa?

Like many origin stories, NORAD’s mission to track Santa began by accident. In 1955 a young child, trying to reach Santa, dialed the misprinted phone number from a department store ad in the local newspaper.

What year Norad track Santa?

1955
Subscribe Now. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Every year, millions of children take to their computers, tablets and smartphones to track the world’s greatest traveler — Santa Claus; and every year since 1955, NORAD has helped children of all ages track Santa on his journey around the world.

What does the Santa tracker actually track?

Every Christmas Eve, the Google Santa Tracker begins to simulate tracking of Santa at about midnight in the furthest east time zone, about 10 AM UTC. The map shows Santa alternating between traveling and handing out presents in cities. Santa appears to travel approximately one time zone west per hour.

What country visits Santa first?

What route does Santa travel? Santa usually starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and travels west. So, historically, Santa visits the South Pacific first, then New Zealand and Australia.

What country is Santa’s first stop?

Father Christmas’ journey always begins in the South Pacific, with his first stop to the Republic of Kiribati, a collection of 32 atolls in the Pacific Ocean. He then travels west, delivering presents to those in New Zealand and Australia, followed by Japan.

How old is Norad?

The NORAD commander and deputy commander (CINCNORAD) are, respectively, a United States four-star general or equivalent and a Canadian three-star general or equivalent….

North American Aerospace Defense Command
Founded	12 May 1958 (63 years, 6 months)
Countries	United States Canada
Type	Binational Command

Where does Santa stop last?

To stay ahead of the clock, Santa travels west, beginning in the South Pacific, then New Zealand and Australia. Next, he shoots up to Japan, over to Asia, across to Africa, then on to Europe before crossing the Atlantic to Canada and the United States. Finally, he flies south to Mexico and Central and South America.

Who belongs to NORAD?

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a United States and Canada bi-national organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America.

How many House does Santa visit?

396 million houses
Santa has to visit nearly 396 million houses.

What is NORAD Tracks Santa and when does it start?

NORAD Tracks Santa is an annual Christmas -themed program in which NORAD tracks Santa Claus, who leaves the North Pole to travel around the world on his mission to deliver presents to children every year on Christmas Eve. The program starts on December 1, but the actual Santa-tracking starts at midnight annually on December 23.

How did we start tracking Santa Claus?

From that night on, tracking Santa became a yearly tradition, carried on by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) when it replaced CONAD in 1958. A new phone number, separate from the red phone, was established and publicized, and people were invited to call in and find out how close Santa was to their home.

What is the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Santa Tracker Program?

It is a community outreach function of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Every year on Christmas Eve, NORAD tracks Santa Claus leaving the North Pole as he journeys around the world on his mission to deliver presents to children.

How many volunteers work for NORAD each year?

In 2018, more than 1,500 volunteers staffed the phone lines despite the shutdown of the US government. In December 2019, the noradsanta.org website received 8.9 million visitors. In 2020, NORAD announced they would continue the Santa Tracker, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.