The Story of Memorial Day (Re-release)

Bedtime History: Inspirational Stories for Kids and Families

Bedtime History

Education, Kids & Family, Stories For Kids, Education For Kids

4.4 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 24 May 2025

⏱️ 5 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Memorial Day is more than just a day off from school or the start of summer—it's a time to remember and honor those who gave their lives while serving in the U.S. military. In this episode, we’ll explore how Memorial Day began, why we celebrate it, and how people across the country show their respect and gratitude.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to Bedtime History. Hello, this is Breck.
0:11.5	If you enjoy the show, be sure to subscribe to be notified about new episodes, and to get our entire catalog of episodes ad-free, you can subscribe via Apple Podcasts. Also be sure to check out
0:23.0	our 400-plus educational videos on our YouTube channel. We also have a new show called
0:28.6	Bedtime Safari, so look for the link in the show notes of our most recent episodes. Have you ever heard of Memorial Day?
0:44.7	Memorial Day is an American holiday honoring men and women who have died while serving in the military.
0:51.1	It takes place on the last Monday of May every year.
1:01.0	Most kids and adults get this day off work and school, so usually the day is filled with parties and vacation time. I know growing up most of my memories of Memorial Day involve pool parties and barbecues with friends and family.
1:08.0	And while it's good to spend time with those we love, it's also important to understand
1:12.7	why we have Memorial Day. Growing up, I also remember visiting the cemetery to place flowers on the
1:19.1	wreath of my grandfather. My grandfather served in England during World War II. He had to leave his
1:25.7	wife and daughter, and while he was away, his job was to
1:28.8	guard the bomber planes at night. He didn't die during the war, but we still honored him for his service.
1:35.4	I also had a younger brother who passed away, so we always visited his graveside as well.
1:42.7	Memorial Day is a special time to remember those who are no longer with us. If you notice the word
1:48.0	memorial sounds kind of like memory, and that means on this day we remember our family and friends
1:53.7	who have passed away. Memorial Day was first known as Decoration Day and originally started
2:00.8	during the years after the American Civil War.
2:03.6	The Civil War was a time when many lives were lost, so many families around this time of year were thinking about their brothers and husbands and sons, and wanted to remember them by decorating their graves.
2:15.6	One reason Memorial Day is during the spring,
2:19.3	is springtime is when flowers are in bloom,
2:21.3	and often families decorated the graves with flowers.
2:25.3	No one is exactly sure when decoration day started.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 18 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Bedtime History, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Bedtime History and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.