This is Angela Odell, and you are listening to Real Cool History for Kids, a podcast show featuring history told from a distinctly biblical worldview perspective. Welcome to an adventure.

Welcome to Episode 162 of Real Cool History for Kids. This episode is for Rosalie Cody, who wanted to hear the true story of the Von Trapp family.

Hey, Rosalie, this one's for you.

You guys, I am super excited to tell you this story because the sound of music, the movie based on the story of the

Von Trapp family, is one of my all-time favorites. And I've watched it literally dozens of times.

I'm not joking. Dozens. The Sound of Music is just, well, it's just a really great classic movie. I love

everything about it. And what makes it even better is that it happens right at the beginning

of World War II, which is one of my favorite periods of history to study. In the movie, Maria, played by Julie Andrews, twirls and sings

in the Austrian hills and the Von Trapp children march in line to the sound of a whistle and the

family climbs over the Alps to escape the Nazis. I mean, it's just amazing. But guess what? The real story of the Von Traps is even better than the movie version. And today we're going to explore it in this episode. But before we do, go grab your globe or world map if you can.

Now, let's find the continent of Europe.

Remember, it's across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States.

Okay, do you find Europe?

Okay.

Now let's find the boot-shaped peninsula of Italy.

It hangs down into the Mediterranean Sea. Okay, do you find it?

Awesome. Now, move your finger up and to the right until it rests on a country that shares that top right border with Italy. That is Austria.

And this is where our story begins.

Okay, so let's head back to Austria in the early 1900s

to meet the real Von Trapp family.

Captain Georg von Trapp was a national hero. During World War I, he commanded

submarines for the Austrian Navy and became famous for his courage. He was serious, disciplined,

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