The story that circulates about how NORAD started tracking Santa is pretty heart-warming, but doesn’t completely hold up. So there’s some myth-busting here, and maybe the tiniest bit of bah-humbug.

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The story that circulates about how NORAD started tracking Santa is pretty heart-warming, but doesn’t completely hold up. So there’s some myth-busting here, and maybe the tiniest bit of bah-humbug. Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a>

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

The story that circulates about how NORAD started tracking Santa is pretty heart-warming, but doesn’t completely hold up. So there’s some myth-busting here, and maybe the tiniest bit of bah-humbug.

NORAD Tracking Santa: A Cold War History

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/fa6bfaf2-ad2d-4d35-81cb-ae2800525522/transcript

John Graunt was a shopkeeper in 17th-century London who followed his own curiosity to a rather grand result. His work gave rise to the fields of demography and epidemiology.

Research:
Berke, Olaf, et al. “Celebration day: 400th birthday of John Graunt, citizen scientist of London.” Environmental Health Review. 63(3): 67-69. 2020. https://doi.org/10.5864/d2020-018
Britannica Editors. "John Graunt". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Apr. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Graunt
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Sir William Petty." Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Apr. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/money/William-Petty
Clark, Andrew. “Aubrey’s ‘Brief Lives.’” Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1898. https://dn790003.ca.archive.org/0/items/briefliveschiefl01aubruoft/briefliveschiefl01aubruoft.pdf
Connor, Henry. “John Graunt F.R.S. (1620-74): The founding father of human demography, epidemiology and vital statistics.” Journal of medical biography 32,1 (2024): 57-69. doi:10.1177/09677720221079826
Eschner, Kat. “People Have Been Using Big Data Since the 1600s.” Smithsonian. April 24, 2017. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/people-have-been-using-big-data-1600s-180962949/
Glass, D.V., et al. “John Graunt and His Natural and Political Observations [and Discussion].” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, Vol. 159, No. 974, A Discussion on Demography (Dec. 10, 1963), pp. 2-37 Published by: The Royal Society Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/90480
Graunt, John. “Natural and political observations mentioned in a following index, and made upon the Bills of mortality.” Oxford : Printed by William Hall, for John Martyn, and James Allestry, printers to the Royal Society MDCLXV [1665]. http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/2356017R
KARGON, ROBERT. “John Graunt, Francis Bacon, and the Royal Society: The Reception of Statistics.” Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, vol. 18, no. 4, 1963, pp. 337–48. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24621352
Kelsey, Holly. “Sovereign and the Sick City in 1603.” Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Aug. 23, 2016. https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/blogs/sovereign-and-sick-city-1603/
Lewin, C. G. "Graunt, John (1620–1674), statistician." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  August 08, 2024. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-11306
Pepys, Samuel. “The Diary of Samuel Pepys.” GEORGE BELL & SONS. London. 1893. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4200/pg4200.txt
Smith, R.M. (2008). “Graunt, John (1620–1674).” The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_758-2

 

John Graunt was a shopkeeper in 17th-century London who followed his own curiosity to a rather grand result. His work gave rise to the fields of demography and epidemiology.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Berke,&nbsp;Olaf, et al. &ldquo;Celebration day: 400th birthday of John Graunt, citizen scientist of London.&rdquo;&nbsp;Environmental Health Review.&nbsp;63(3): 67-69.&nbsp;2020. https://doi.org/10.5864/d2020-018</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "John Graunt".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Apr. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Graunt</li>
<li>Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia.&nbsp;"Sir William Petty."&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica,&nbsp;11 Apr. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/money/William-Petty</li>
<li>Clark, Andrew. &ldquo;Aubrey&rsquo;s &lsquo;Brief Lives.&rsquo;&rdquo; Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1898. https://dn790003.ca.archive.org/0/items/briefliveschiefl01aubruoft/briefliveschiefl01aubruoft.pdf</li>
<li>Connor, Henry. &ldquo;John Graunt F.R.S. (1620-74): The founding father of human demography, epidemiology and vital statistics.&rdquo;&nbsp;Journal of medical biography 32,1 (2024): 57-69. doi:10.1177/09677720221079826</li>
<li>Eschner, Kat. &ldquo;People Have Been Using Big Data Since the 1600s.&rdquo; Smithsonian. April 24, 2017. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/people-have-been-using-big-data-1600s-180962949/</li>
<li>Glass, D.V., et al. &ldquo;John Graunt and His Natural and Political Observations [and Discussion].&rdquo; Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, Vol. 159, No. 974, A Discussion on Demography (Dec. 10, 1963), pp. 2-37 Published by: The Royal Society Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/90480</li>
<li>Graunt, John. &ldquo;Natural and political observations mentioned in a following index, and made upon the Bills of mortality.&rdquo; Oxford : Printed by William Hall, for John Martyn, and James Allestry, printers to the Royal Society MDCLXV [1665]. http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/2356017R</li>
<li>KARGON, ROBERT. &ldquo;John Graunt, Francis Bacon, and the Royal Society: The Reception of Statistics.&rdquo;&nbsp;Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, vol. 18, no. 4, 1963, pp. 337&ndash;48.&nbsp;JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24621352</li>
<li>Kelsey, Holly. &ldquo;Sovereign and the Sick City in 1603.&rdquo; Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Aug. 23, 2016. https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/blogs/sovereign-and-sick-city-1603/</li>
<li>Lewin, C. G. "Graunt, John (1620&ndash;1674), statistician."&nbsp;Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.&nbsp;&nbsp;August&nbsp;08,&nbsp;2024. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-11306</li>
<li>Pepys, Samuel. &ldquo;The Diary of Samuel Pepys.&rdquo; GEORGE BELL &amp; SONS. London. 1893. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4200/pg4200.txt</li>
<li>Smith, R.M. (2008). &ldquo;Graunt, John (1620&ndash;1674).&rdquo; The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_758-2</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

John Graunt was a shopkeeper in 17th-century London who followed his own curiosity to a rather grand result. His work gave rise to the fields of demography and epidemiology.

John Graunt

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/58484d99-6ab7-48fc-af78-b440003347a4/transcript

This 2019 episode marked 100 years since a wave of racist violence in the U.S. that became known as Red Summer. In many ways, Red Summer was a response to (but NOT caused by) two earlier events: the Great Migration and the return of black soldiers who had fought in World War I.

This 2019 episode marked 100 years since a wave of racist violence in the U.S. that became known as Red Summer. In many ways, Red Summer was a response to (but NOT caused by) two earlier events: the Great Migration and the return of black soldiers who had fought in World War I.

SYMHC Classics: Red Summer 1919

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4c1c6b70-8c61-434f-b5ae-b43c017676c4/transcript

Holly and Tracy commiserate about sending greeting cards. Tracy talks about how she shifted away from an episode exclusively about Frances Thompson.

Holly and Tracy commiserate about sending greeting cards. Tracy talks about how she shifted away from an episode exclusively about Frances Thompson.

Behind the Scenes Minis: Greetings and Context

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0730cbe0-425a-47e7-aa8e-b43c0174a000/transcript

NORAD Tracking Santa: A Cold War History

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