Albert Hofmann, The Father Of LSD

Albert Hofmann, a research scientist, who synthesised LSD, in 1938, took the worlds first acid trip on his bicycle. He was cycling home from his laboratory April 19th, 1943 and tripped out. This day is known as "Bicycle Day."
Working as a research chemist at the laboratory of the Sandoz Company in Basel, Switzerland, Hofmann was involved in studying the medicinal properties of plants. The focus was ergot, a fungus which forms on rye. In the middle ages, ergot was blamed for outbreaks of mass poisonings. So, my advice to you is, the next time you are eating that Ruben or pastrami sandwich, check the rye bread to make sure there aren't any mold spores growing on it.
In his studies, Hofmann made many new discoveries. He had hoped by synthesising LSD, he could come up with a circulatory and respiratory stimulant. But after a series of experiments on animals, the results were not as expected and the project was dropped.
Back to the famous bicycle ride, Hofmann had an array of experiences. He had distortions, highs and lows and time warps. Sandoz saw the effects of this acid trip and hoped to profit from the discovery. So, the laboratory sent out samples to scientific researchers. Wow! By 1965, over 2,000 papers had been written and published, hoping to use the drug for a variety of conditions.
But, since the chemical was cheap and easy to make, it eventually ended up in the hands of Dr. Timothy Leary. It became the recreational drug of choice.
LSD was then banned all over the world, due to the number of accidents by users. People would jump out of windows thinking they could fly and the effects of a bad trip would often lead to psychosis.
In 1988, the Albert Hofmann foundation was established, devoted to the study of human consciousness and related fields.
Albert Hofmann died April 29, 2008 at the age of 102. If you are interested in reading the autobiography of this amazing scientist, click on the link below.

LSD: My Problem Child