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The History Hour

India's nine day tea strike and the birth of the Excel spreadsheet

The History Hour

BBC

History, Society & Culture, Personal Journals

4.4879 Ratings

🗓️ 4 October 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes.

Tea expert Sabita Banerji talks about the history of tea in India. We look back at how women teapickers in 2015 fought for justice - and improved the lives of thousands of tea plantation workers.

We hear the story of a famous photo of American president John F Kennedy working at his desk in the White House - with his cheeky young son underneath.

Also, from 1985 one of the most notorious killings from the apartheid era in South Africa of the men who became known as the Cradock four - this includes graphic descriptions of violence.

It’s 30 years since American football star OJ Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend. We hear from one of his former friends who testified against him in the criminal trial including his desciptions of the injuries suffered by the victims.

And finally, it’s 40 years this week since the release of Microsoft Excel, the spreadsheet software that's now used all over the world. We hear from one of the creators.

Contributors: Rajeshwary - tea plantation worker. Sabita Banerji - founder of Thirst tea charity. Lukhanyo Calata - son of Fort Calata, one of the Cradock Four. Ron Shipp - who testified against OJ Simpson. Mike Koss – one of the creators of Microsoft Excel. Plus, archive recordings of American photographer Stanley Tretick from the John F Kennedy Library and Museum.

(Photo: Female tea pickers on strike in Munnar. Credit: Countercurrents.org)

Transcript

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0:00.0

BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.

0:05.6

Your time starts now.

0:07.2

You're about to listen to a BBC podcast.

0:09.4

Absolutely right.

0:11.5

So, you might like to know that the BBC makes loads of other podcasts.

0:15.6

Really?

0:16.4

Wow.

0:17.2

Many of them are very funny.

0:19.1

Which I think means...

0:20.1

A hatful of ha-hars. And energy. Even if we do very funny. Which I think means... A hatful of ha haas.

0:21.7

And energy.

0:22.9

Even if we do say so ourselves.

0:24.3

I agree 100% to that.

0:26.7

Find them all on BBC Sounds.

0:28.6

Just tell us a joke.

0:29.4

Come on, tell us a joke.

0:30.5

Tell us a joke. Come on, tell us a joke.

0:31.4

Just search comedy on BBC Sounds.

0:33.6

I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in.

0:40.9

Hello. Hello and welcome to The History Hour from the BBC World Service with me, Max Pearson, the past brought to life by those who were there.

0:49.1

Coming up from 1985, one of the most notorious killings in apartheid South Africa.

0:55.1

When my dad's remains and that of Matthew Goniwa were found,

...

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