NORAD's now-famous Santa tracking program had its genesis in a happy accident. In 1955, a Sears store in Colorado Springs ran an ad for a hotline that purported to put kids in touch with Santa Claus.
Thanks to a misprint in the catalog, droves of Colorado kids looking to rattle off their wishlists found themselves on the line with the Continental Air Defense's (CONAD) director of operations.
After a few calls, Colonel Harry Shoup opted to take the mistake in stride, ordering his staff to give anyone under the influence of sugar-plum visions who called the number Santa's coordinates--the sort of information that can be generated only with the sort of high-tech machinery employed by the department of defense.
The tradition has continued ever since, with NORAD (CONAD's successor as of 1958) issuing an update on Santa's position every Christmas Eve.
This year, Google--abiding by its much-publicized "Don't Be Naughty" mission statement--has added its services to NORAD's annual tradition. Santa Claus watchers will now be able to track the jolly fat man via Google Maps, Google Earth, iGoogle and YouTube.
NORAD's Santa site will feature a countdown to Christmas, beginning tomorrow, with a new game or activity ever day until the holiday. On December 24th, beginning at 1:00 AM PST, visitors to the site will be able to track St. Nick's. You can also download a plug-in on the page to watch his progress via Google Earth, in 3D.
More info can be found at Google's blog, written by one of the company's employees--who also happens to be Col. Shoup's granddaughter.
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