Once again Santa is preparing for his epic trip around the globe to the chimneys of all the kids who made his coveted Nice List. Thanks to ever-improving satellite and internet capabilities, you don't just have to sit by the fireplace waiting for him on Christmas Eve. Log on to NORAD's Santa Tracker and keep an eye on the Jolly Old Elf's globetrotting! We've got the info you need!
A Little History
Way back in 1955 - before the internet was even invented - a Sears store in Colorado made a HUGE mistake when it misprinted the phone number for a line they'd set up for kids to call Santa. The number they printed was actually the one for the commander of the precurser to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), an organization responsible for the aerospace defense of the US and Canada. Whoops! However, it turned out the commander was actually a pretty cool guy. He got employees to answer the phone all night to keep kids updated on their radar surveillance of Santa Claus's journey from the North Pole. NORAD has helped kids track Old Saint Nick ever since.
Google Earth Joins In!
In 2007, the brilliant people over at Google joined forces with NORAD to track Kris Kringle and his sleigh in 3D! Make sure to download Google Earth (it's free!) before the big night, and you'll be in for an amazing three dimensional sleigh ride that's the closest thing to riding shotgun with Santa!
Websites, Details and What You Need to Know
- Step one is to head over to earth.google.com and to download Google Earth for free. You can track Santa Claus without it, but you'll need the program if you want to track Santa in 3D.
- Head to www.noradsanta.org any time after 1AM PST on December 24th to track Santa in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, or German!
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- Santa Claus Profile
- Cool Things You Can Do With Google
- Christmas Day
- More About the World We Live In!
