Today we celebrate the birthday of an amazing man that took a little Ergot fungus and created a substance that would influence the psychedelic Counterculture and Inventions like the Iphone.
On January 11th, 1906 a genius was born in Switzerland named Albert Hoffman. Hoffman received a chemistry degree in 1929 from the University of Zurich and went on to work as a lead chemist for Sandoz labs pharmaceutical company. While researching lysergic acid derivatives to obtain a respiratory and circulatory stimulant that showed no side effects that would negatively affect the uterus, Hoffman felt strange effects as the liquid seeped into his fingertips. On November 16, 1938, also known as Bicycle day, Albert Hoffman dropped the first dose of LSD and took the first psychedelic bicycle ride through town. In 1958 Hoffman became the Director of the natural products department and started studying hallucinogenic plants including Mexican mushrooms and Morning glory seeds. This led to the first synthesized psilocybin, which is the active psychedelic compound found in "Magic Mushrooms". Hoffman believes LSD was useful in therapeutic applications but was abused by the long haired hippies in the '60s, leading to a negative stigma surrounding this beneficial substance. Upon retiring from Sandoz labs, Hoffman donated all his research to the Albert Hoffman Foundation in Los Angeles California. This renowned chemist published more than 100 scientific articles and books surrounding psychedelics and medicinal plants. Today we give thanks to Hoffman for his work in the lab and for synthesizing one of the most important chemicals of the 20th century.