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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.

In the 1960s, the municipality of Amsterdam came up with an ambitious plan to create a new residential area in the Bijlmermeer with a strict division between living and working. Attracting residents was difficult because of the bad reputation that the Bijlmer acquired, the lack of facilities in the area and the competition from single-family dwellings elsewhere in the region, which kept Amsterdam families away.

In 1981, American Airlines introduced a pass that allowed unlimited first class flying around the world: the Unlimited AAirpass. It cost $250,000 and for an additional $150,000 you could take an extra passenger. The pass was discontinued after a few pass owners made a lot of use of their pass and the airline began to make huge losses.

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.