From a failed respiratory stimulant to a cultural icon, the strange history of LSD

Cultures · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: LSD was never intended to change the world. Synthesized in 1938 as a potential circulatory aid, it sat ignored for years until its creator accidentally ingested it. What began as a clinical tool for psychiatrists quickly spiraled into a Cold War obsession, a countercultural symbol, and eventually, a banned substance.

In 1938, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, working for Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, synthesized LSD-25 while researching derivatives of ergot, a fungus found on rye. His goal was to create a respiratory and circulatory stimulant. The compound showed little promise in initial animal trials, leading Hofmann to shelve it for five years. In 1943, Hofmann returned to the substance, accidentally absorbing a small amount through his fingertips. He experienced a dreamlike state filled with intense, kaleidoscopic colors, marking the first recorded acid trip. Three days later, on April 19, 1943, he intentionally ingested 0.25 milligrams, leading to a famous bicycle ride home that would later be commemorated as Bicycle Day.

By the late 1940s, LSD reached the United States, where it was initially embraced by the psychiatric community. Researchers used it to treat alcoholism and psychological trauma, hoping to condense years of therapy into a single seven-hour session. During the Cold War, the CIA also took a keen interest, exploring the drug for its potential in brainwashing, truth serums, and incapacitating entire cities. Despite these varied applications, the drug's trajectory shifted in the 1960s. Figures like Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert popularized LSD among the youth, turning it into a touchstone of the counterculture movement that valued peace and self-exploration.

As recreational use surged, particularly during the 1967 Summer of Love in San Francisco, government concern intensified. The 1965 Drug Abuse Control Amendment gave the FDA regulatory power over hallucinogens, and by 1970, the Controlled Substances Act classified LSD as a Schedule 1 drug, citing no accepted medical use and high abuse potential. This effectively halted most research for decades. Today, modern trials are attempting to overcome these historical stigmas, investigating LSD’s potential in psychotherapy for anxiety, depression, and palliative care, though researchers continue to grapple with the limitations of early study designs.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• How a chemist’s accidental bicycle ride changed our understanding of the human mind
• A dose of LSD can weigh one two-hundredth of a sand grain
• How did one man's experience with LSD potentially alter the course of modern science?
• The CIA once bought an entire supply of LSD to hunt for mind control
• Could psychedelic drugs be the future of effective psychiatric treatment?
• How New York City became the world's largest urban sanctuary for Jewish life
• The American war hero whose highest military honor was kept secret for years
• Why Tupac Shakur’s Hit 'Em Up remains the definitive, most venomous hip-hop diss track
• Why your new hip might feel longer than the one you were born with
• From a military boarding school to the top of the charts
• A Bavarian farmstead where a killer lived among six corpses for three days
• The Fightingest Ship in the Royal Canadian Navy is a survivor of 27 vessels

More in US culture · More in Cultures · Latest · A–Z · All topics