It's Christmas Eve, and with that, the tradition of laying out some cookies for the jolly old elf dressed all in red and trying to fall asleep before he shows up to lay out presents beneath the tree.
Since 1955, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has tracked Santa and relayed his position to all the eager girls and boys awaiting his arrival around the world. But I don't think Santa ever planned on the debut of the Internet, which has made it easier than ever to plan a night around his arrival.
Now, with the dawn of the digital age, NORAD provides his location via a dedicated webpage, complete with games, movies, music and a library to keep children entertained. (There are also a number of apps on both iOS and Android for mobile devices, and a Twitter account you can follow.)
The history of NORAD tracking Santa is all thanks to a misprinted telephone number on a Sears Roebuck ad inviting children to call Santa. The listed number should have been one coming to the store, but the newspaper printed the number to the secret air defense emergency line.
U.S. Air Force Col. Harry Shoup immediately pulled a number of airmen aside and assigned them to relay the location of Santa to any children calling and inquiring about the elf's travels. Read more about that here.
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