NORAD Tracks Santa began in 1955 after a child mistakenly called a military command while trying to contact Santa Claus.
The incident occurred during the Cold War, when military phone lines were treated seriously. A newspaper advertisement had printed a telephone number for children who wanted to speak with Santa, but the number was accidentally connected to the Continental Air Defense Command, or CONAD.
Colonel Harry Shoup, the commander on duty, asked his staff to give children Santa updates. CONAD continued the practice in later years, and the newly created North American Aerospace Defense Command took over the tradition in 1958.
The program later expanded from telephone updates to websites, mobile services, social media, and live online coverage. Its origin remains one of the best-known examples of a mistaken phone number becoming a lasting Christmas custom.