Today In History Spotlights Dec. 24, 1955, NORAD's Santa Tracking Service Begins

Today’s History Spotlight

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The event is now a Christmas tradition where the North American Aerospace Defense Command tracks Santa Claus as he travels around the world delivering presents to children.

The event began after a printing error in a Sears catalog asking children to call Santa Claus. The number that was printed was the number of Colorado Springs’ Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Center.

What Happened On This Day – December 24

1951 Libya gains independence from Italy. The North African country had been ruled by Italy since 1912. After independence, it became a constitutional monarchy under King Idris. King Idris was overthrown in a military coup led by Muammar Gaddafi in 1969.
1914 Christmas Truce begins. A much-studied event in war and peace studies, the Christmas Truce was a brief unofficial ceasefire between British and German troops along the Western Front of World War I. During the truce, soldiers from both sides sang carols, shared food, exchanged gifts and played football (soccer). Subsequent attempts to hold similar ceasefires around Christmas time failed.
1826 Eggnog riots begin at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Also known as the Grog Mutiny, these riots began on Christmas Eve after cadets consumed copious amounts of eggnog made with smuggled whiskey. The riots lasted until December 25.

Births On This Day – December 24

1973 Stephenie Meyer – American author, film producer
1971 Ricky Martin – Puerto Rican/American singer-songwriter, actor
1957 Hamid Karzai – Afghan politician, 12th President of Afghanistan
1868 Emanuel Lasker – German chess player
1166 John, King of England

Deaths On This Day – December 24

2008 Harold Pinter – English playwright, screenwriter, director, actor, Nobel Prize laureate
1977 Samael Aun Weor – Colombian author
1965 William M. Branham – American minister
1914 John Muir – Scottish/American environmentalist, author
1524 Vasco da Gama – Portuguese explorer

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Garrett Smith

Garrett Smith is a writer for NRN and recent graduate from Western Carolina University. He is a history major with a minor in political science. As a Conservative, Smith believes that the Left has taken over America's education system, which means they now control its history. To make their fellow Americans feel guilty, they often invoke a feeling of "American Shame" in students, indoctrinating them with radical, un-American ideas. It is Smith's goal to teach Americans the true history of America, and along with this, use its history to explain what makes us great.