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With biomass plants, the government wanted to ensure that the climate targets would be met. The government set aside 10 billion euros for the construction of 628 biomass plants. Objections to the biomass plants soon arose: they would not be as CO2-neutral as was assumed and there would be more useful ways to use the biomass.

In 1905, the popsicle was invented by eleven-year-old Frank Epperson. He made a drink with water and some soda powder that he stirred through with a stick. Because his mother told him to go to sleep, he left the drink. When he woke up the next morning, it had frozen and the drink with the stick in it was frozen too. This was the first popsicle.

Columbus was looking for a faster sailing route to the Dutch East Indies. He planned to sail there via the West. With the financial support of the Spanish Queen Isabella, his ships left for the West, but instead of finding a new route to the Dutch East Indies there, he found the undiscovered continent of America.

Through citizen participation, the municipality of Amsterdam wanted to make policy-making more democratic. The municipality made plans for all sorts of subjects on which citizens could express their opinions, but citizens responded very little. They do not feel that they are really allowed to decide, but are only there to suggest ideas.

Hotline to Home was a telecom project with the aim of strengthening and maintaining important social contacts of hospitalised patients, using a combination of new technology and supporting communication volunteers. Unfortunately, it turned out that the patients involved did not understand the benefits of this project. The acceptance of video calls turned out to be low, contrary to theoretical considerations. Scarce personal contact was preferred to image calling.

Volunteers built a staircase covered with plants between the Centraal Museum and the canal in Utrecht. For three years, they worked with all their might on the staircase and the work of art cost 243,800 euros. Now a contract worker from the municipality of Utrecht has accidentally removed all the plants, not realising that it was a work of art.