Albert Hofmann’s Bicycle Day 1943 Blotter

Albert Hofmann’s was a Swiss chemist, born January 11, 1906, who died on April 29, 2008, at the ripe age of 102. Hofmann is mostly credited for his discovery of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), which he first accomplished in 1938.

He was also the first person to ingest the substance, making him one of the first (synthetic) psychedelic explorers. This wasn’t until 5 years after his original synthesis of the substance. He concluded that LSD had a number of important psychiatric uses and that it should be studied for medical purposes.

Albert Hofmann’s first real experience with LSD gave rise to what we presently refer to as ‘Bicycle Day.’ After taking what he later realised was a tremendously high dose of LSD, he found himself overwhelmed by its effects.

Assistant to help

He had to get his assistant to help him ride a bicycle home. Once he arrived home he spent the rest of the day largely locked on the couch. His neighbour came by to bring him milk and check in on him, but he reportedly saw her not as the kind woman that she was, but as an evil witch who was determined to bring misfortune.

After his experience and subsequently realising that he had consumed far too much of the substance, he decided to open up a new branch of research with more stable amounts of LSD. His research continued for several years until the counterculture movement of the 1960s got its hands on LSD and began to push the research forward at unprecedented levels.