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On 1 August 2000, a new rollercoaster opened to the public at a theme park in Japan.

Named Steel Dragon 2000, it's located at the Nagashima Spa Land amusement park in Kuwana.

When it first opened, it broke world records, being named the longest rollercoaster in the world, at just under 2.5km long.

Kurt Brookes hears from its designer, Steve Okamoto.

A Made In Manchester production.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: Steel Dragon 2000. Credit: Getty Images)

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