Erowid LSD Vault : Timeline (original) (raw)

Nov 16, 1938

Albert Hofmann, a chemist working for Sandoz Pharmaceutical in Basel, Switzerland, is the first to synthesize LSD-25. He discovered LSD, a semi-synthetic derivative of ergot alkaloids, while looking for a blood stimulant. 1

Apr 16, 1943

Albert Hofmann accidentally experiences a small amount of LSD for the first time. This is the first human experience with pure LSD-25. He reports seeing "an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopelike play of colors." The experience lasted just over two hours.

Apr 19, 1943

Bicycle Day - Albert Hofmann intentionally takes 250 ug LSD for the first time. This is the first intentional use of LSD. 2

Apr 22+, 1943

After receiving Albert Hofmann's report regarding the effects of LSD-25, professor Ernst Rothlin was the second person to try the drug. Rothlin was Sandoz's chief pharmacologist at the time. Albert Hofmann gave Rothlin a small, 60 microgram, dose of LSD about 1/4 of the dose Hofmann had tried. 3 [Details] [More Info]

"Professor Ernst Rothlin, head of the Sandoz pharmacological department at the time. Rothlin was dubious about LSD ; he claimed he had a strong will and could suppress the effects of drugs. But after he took 60 micrograms, one quarter of the dose I had taken earlier, he was convinced. I had to laugh as he described his fantastic visions." -- Michael Horowitz interview with Albert Hofmann, 1976.

Jun 12, 1943

Susi Ramstein becomes the first woman in the world to take LSD. 4 [Details] [More Info]

Twenty-one-year-old Susi Ramstein (the only female apprentice at Sandoz) becomes the first woman in the world to take LSD. She initially took a 100 mics--a higher dose than either Albert's co-worker Ernst Rothlin or his supervisor Arthur Stoll had tried--and she had a good experience. And although everyone working with Albert took acid at least once, Susi tried it two more times in order to help out with establishing some standards for the medical use of LSD. (Susi was Hofmann's lab assistant, and the person who accompanied him from Sandoz to his home via bicycle, on the day that Hofmann took his first intentional dose of LSD.)

1947

First article on LSD's mental effects published by Werner Stoll in the Swiss Archives of Neurology.

1949

Boston psychiatrist Max Rinkel obtains LSD from Sandoz and initiates work on it at Harvard. Hungarian psychiatrist Nicholas Bercel commences LSD research in Los Angeles. 5, 6 [Details]

Max Rinkel, in Boston, was one of the first two people known to have brought LSD into the United States. Rinkel requested it from Sandoz in 1949 after hearing it mentioned in a talk by a Viennese doctor. Nicholas Bercel, based in California, was given samples by Werner Stoll while visiting Basel, also in 1949.

1950 - 1960

Hundreds of papers published discussing LSD.

Apr 20, 1950

The CIA's behavior-control program project BLUEBIRD officially begins. 7 [Details] [More Info]

CIA Director Roscoe Hillenkoetter approves their behavior-control program, project BLUEBIRD (the predecessor to project ARTICHOKE) and authorizes the use of unvouchered funds to pay for its most sensitive areas.

Aug 1950

The first American article about LSD appears in Diseases of the Nervous System, wherein the possibility that LSD might be useful as an aid to psychotherapy is presented. 8 [More Info]

1951

CIA becomes aware of and begins experimenting with LSD.

1951

Al Hubbard first tries LSD. 9

1952

Charles Savage publishes the first study on the use of LSD to treat depression.

1953

First LSD clinic opened to the public in England under Ronald Sandison. Separately, unwitting subjects in the United States were given LSD in the CIA funded Project MK-Ultra to test the effects of the drug.

1953

Dr. Humphry Osmond begins treating alcoholics with LSD. 9

1955

First conferences focusing on LSD and mescaline take place in Atlantic City and Princeton, N.J.

1955

Aldous Huxley first takes LSD. The publication of Huxley's 'Heaven and Hell'.9

1959

Josiah Macy Foundation sponsors major scientific congress on LSD. 9

1959

Allen Ginsberg tries LSD for the first time. 9

Apr 22-24, 1959

The First International Conference on LSD Therapy 10 [Details]

Held at Princeton, NJ. Produced by the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation. Chaired by Paul H. Hoch, presenters included Harold A. Abramson, Gregory Bateson, Arthur L. Chandler, Sidney Cohen, Jonathan Cole, Keith S. Ditman, Betty Grover Eisner, Frank Fremont-Smith, Mortimer A. Hartman, Mollie P. Hewitt Hewitt, Abram Hoffer, Cecelia E.Jett-Jackson, Solomon Katzenelbogen, G.D. Klee, Humphry Osmond, Charles Savage, H. Lennard, S. Malitz, R.C. Murphy, Gwendolyn J.Neviackas, Cornelius H. van Rhijn, Ronald A. Sandison, Louis Joylon "Jolly" West, J.R.B. Whittlesey, and others.

1960

Harvard University's Timothy Leary establishes the Psychedelic Research Project.

1962

Congress passes new drug safety regulations and the FDA designates LSD an experimental drug and restricts research. The first LSD related arrests are made by the FDA. 9

1963

LSD first appears on the streets liquid on sugar cubes. Articles about LSD first appear in mainstream media Look, Saturday Evening Post. 9

May 1963

Richard Alpert is fired and Timothy Leary is dismissed from Harvard. 9

May 28, 1963

Weil and Russin write a scathing critique of Leary and Alpert's work in the Harvard Crimson: Far from exercising the caution that characterizes the published statements of most scientists, Leary and Alpert, in their papers and speeches, have been given to making the kind of pronouncement about their work that one associates with quacks. 11 [Details]

"The shoddiness of their work as scientists is the result less of incompetence than of a conscious rejection of scientific ways of looking at things. Leary and Alpert fancy themselves 'prophets' of a psychic revolution designed to free Western man from the limitations of consciousness as we know it."

Note: "The Corporation" in the title of the article is Harvard.

Feb 1965

Owsley Bear Stanley first succeeded in synthesizing crystalline LSD. Earliest distribution was March 1965. 12

May 8-10, 1965

The Second International Conference on the Use of LSD in Psychotherapy and Alcoholism 13 [Details]

Held at South Oaks Hospital, Amityville, NY. Presenters included Harold A. Abramson, Arendsen Hein, Edward F.W. Baker, Antonio Balestrieri, Donald Blair, John Buckman, John Chiasson, Sidney Cohen, Charles Clay Dahlberg, Betty Grover Eisner, Ruth Fox, Daniel X. Freedman, Frank Fremont-Smith, Kenneth Godfrey, Stanislav Grof, William Hausman, Mogens Hertz, Abram Hoffer, Gordon H. Johnsen, James S. Ketchum, Sol Kramer, Leonard W. Krinsky, Albert A. Kurland, Hanscarl Leuner, Jerome Levine, John C. Lilly, Thomas M. Ling, Arnold M. Ludwig, Donald C. MacDonald, J. Ross MacLean, Pauline McCricick, William H. McGlothlin, A. Joyce Martin, Robert E. Mogar, Robert C. Murphy, Humphry Osmond, Walter Pahnke, Andre Rolo, Max Rinkel, Charles Savage, Emilio Servadio, Sanford Unger, Cornelius H. van Rhijn, Jack L. Ward, E.S. Weber, and Mary S. Wicks.

1966

Leary founds the League of Spiritual Development, with LSD as the sacrement. 14

Mar 25, 1966

Life publishes cover article on LSD. "LSD: The Exploding Threat of the Mind Drug that Got Out of Control".

Apr 1966

Sandoz Pharmaceutical recalled the LSD it had previously distributed and withdrew its sponsorship for work with LSD. 14

Oct 6, 1966

LSD becomes illegal in California. 15

1967

Summer of Love in San Francisco. First human be-in.

Oct 24, 1968

Possession of LSD is banned federally in the U.S. after the passage of the Staggers-Dodd Bill (Public Law 90-639) which amended the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Summer 1969

Orange sunshine acid first appears. 9

1970

An estimated 1-2 million Americans have used LSD.

Jun 1970

Windowpane acid (gelatin squares) first reported by the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs in the U.S. 16 [Details]

While Acid Dreams by Martin Lee and Bruce Shlain reports that Windowpane first appeared in 1972, the BNDD's Microgram publication reports an analysis of 3-6 mm square and .38 mm thick gelatin "flakes" in June 1970.

Jun 12, 1970

Doc Ellis pitched a perfect "No Hitter" while reportedly experiencing the effects of LSD.[Details]

Original Author Unknown
Maintained and Updated by Erowid

You may have heard about "no-hitter" that Bob Milacki's of the Oakland A's pitched last week. No-hitters are pretty rare and this one made the news everywhere. One of the local TV stations refered to it as Milacki's "no-no," a term that originated with Dock Ellis's no-hitter back on June 12th, 1970 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Dock pitched that game on acid. Reportedly he wrote about the experience in his authobiography (Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball) published in 1976. Here are some interesting excerpts from an account of the game in the August 1987 issue of High Times magazine and from a Lysergic World article from 1993.

"Dock woke up late. Why shouldn't he? As far as he knew, the team had an off day and he planned to take full advantage of it. Three hits of LSD were ready and waiting in the refrigerator."

"A few minutes later, his girlfriend returned with coffee, donuts, and the morning paper. At noon, they dropped acid. Dock put on a record, while his girlfriend read the paper."

"Dock, it says here you're pitching today!"

"Whaaaa...? said Dock groggily. He snatched the paper, scanned the box scores, and read:

PITTSBURGH AT PADRES
DOUBLEHEADER
(6 P.M.) - Ellis (4-4) vs.
Roberts (3-3)
(LW, 1993)

"That's when it was $9.50 to fly to San Diego. She got me to the airport at 3:30. I got there at 4:30, and the game started at 6:05pm. It was a twi-night doubleheader. (HT, 1987)

He makes it to the game and after having someone help him find his locker, he suits up and enters the game.

"Dave Roberts, the Padres' pitcher, had an easy first inning, ending with Roberto Clemente hitting one back to the box. Dock marched to the mound, wondering if he'd last the inning. (LW, 1993)

"His fingers tingled as he squeezed the ball. He squinted to see catcher Jerry May's hand signals. He nodded his head and went into his windup, falling slightly off balance in the process. The ball hit the ground about two feet in front of the plate and skipped into May's glove.

"May signaled for a fastball outside. Dock wound up and threw a hot one over the the corner of the plate - a swinging strike! In was no ordinary pitch: The ball burst from Dock's hand and left a blazing, cometlike tail that remained visible long after the ball was caught.

"Dock felt wobbly on the mound and his stomach was churning with acid cramps. His concentration, however, was superb. As long as he kept to his fastball, the comets kept burning across the plate. All he had to do was steer the ball down the multicolored path. Dock had a crazed look in his eyes and his lack of control was evident to the batters, many of whom were feeling increasingly vulnerable in the batter's box. Dock easily retired three batters in a row [in the second inning]. (HT, 1987)

I was zeroed in on the (catcher's) glove, but I didn't hit the glove too much. I remember hitting a couple of batters and the bases were loaded two or three times. The ball was small sometimes, the ball was large sometimes, sometimes I saw the catcher, sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I tried to stare the hitter down and throw while I was looking at him. I chewed my gum until it turned to powder. They say I had about three to four fielding chances. I remember diving out of the way of a ball I thought was a line drive. I jumped, but the ball wasn't hit hard and never reached me." (LW, 1993)
The seventh inning:

"The Pirates were clinging to their 1-0 lead. Dock was staring at the scoreboard when he realized he'd pitched hitless ball for seven innings. He smacked Cash on the arm.

"Hey, look," said Dock, pointing at the scoreboard. "I've got a no-no going!"

Cash gave him a blank look. "A no-no?" asked Cash. He'd never heard the term before. But Cash wanted to keep the pitcher loose and happy, so he smiled and said nothing.

Doc Ellis went on to finished the game without a hit. The Pirates won the game, 2-0, despite Ellis walking eight batters. Dock had a pretty good year in 1970. He went 13-10, and helped the Pirates win their first of three divisional championships

Oct 27, 1970

The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act is passed. Part II of this is the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) which defines a scheduling system for drugs. It places most of the known hallucinogens (LSD, psilocybin, psilocin, mescaline, peyote, cannabis, & MDA) in Schedule I. It places coca, cocaine and injectable methamphetamine in Schedule II. Other amphetamines and stimulants, including non-injectable methamphetamine are placed in Schedule III.

Jan 1971

"Flat toothpicks containing 5 micrograms LSD per toothpick have been encountered by a New Mexico Police Department." according to the BNDD Microgram periodical. 17

Sep 3, 1971

Albert Hofmann meets Timothy Leary for the first time. 3 [Details] [More Info]

The father of LSD, Albert Hofmann, and LSD's most vocal prophet, Timothy Leary, meet in Lausanne, Switzerland, while Leary was there in exile from the United States, where he was facing a possible ten years in prison for charges related to possession of a small amount of cannabis.

Early 1970s

LSD impregnated paper ("blotter") first hit the streets. Very quickly the paper began being printed with colorful art.

Aug 1973

The Freek Press, a free newspaper distributed at the second Windsor Free Festival (UK), includes the Acid Report, which describes various microdots circulating at the event. 18 [More Info]

May 30, 1975

Alex Grey has his first LSD experience at a party given by Allyson, his future wife. 19 [Details]

During this experience, he describes having a meaningful vision of a spiraling tunnel which he later painted, a piece he called "Polar Unity Spiral". Soon after this, he changed his name to grey, to merge the opposites of black and white.

"Verified
On May 30, 1975 I had my first LSD experience at a party given by Allyson and we have been together ever since. I had been desperately sad and searching for meaning, for a God I did not believe existed. Sitting with my physical eyes closed, my inner eye moved through a beautiful, spiraling tunnel. The walls of the tunnel seemed like a living mother of pearl, and it felt like a spiritual rebirth canal. I was in the darkness, spiraling towards the light. The curling space going from black to gray to white suggested to me the resolution of all polarities, as the opposites found a way of becoming each other. My artistic rendering of this event was titled the Polar Unity Spiral. Soon after this I changed my name to Grey as a way of bringing the opposites together.

The same evening I met Allyson. She was the only other person who had taken LSD at that party. We have been together ever since that night in 1975. Our love has been the greatest teacher in my life. For me she is the flesh and blood incarnation of God's infinite love. So my challenge to God, my prayer, had been answered."

mid 1970's

Blotter paper begins to emerge as the most common form of LSD sold on the street. Previously it had been tablets and powder, but blotter and gel-tabs proved more consistent in purity and potency. 6

Oct 14-15, 1977

LSD--A Generation Later: Colloquium I [Details]

Santa Cruz, CA. Sponsored by the Psychology Board of the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Included Richard Alpert (Ram Dass), Bruce Eisner, Stephen Gaskin, Allen Ginsberg, Willis Harman, Albert Hofmann, Oscar Janiger, Stanley Krippner, Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, William McGlothlin, Claudio Naranjo, and Myron Stolaroff. Approximately 600 attendees filled the lecture hall when Dr. Hofmann spoke, with many more listening from outside.

1979

Albert Hofmann publishes "LSD: My Problem Child." 2

Apr 19, 1985

Bicycle Day is first celebrated as a counter-culture holiday. 20 [Details] [More Info]

llinois college professor Thomas B. Roberts invents the meme of celebrating the anniversary of Albert Hofmann�s first intentional personal bioassay of LSD, calling his celebration "Bicycle Day" in honor of Dr. Hofmann's under-the-influence bike ride from Sandoz to his home.

Late 1980s

Researchers working in the labs of Reese Jones and Roger Foltz (at UCSF) give LSD to humans in order to develop methods for detecting LSD in blood, urine, and hair. 21, 22

Apr 16, 1993

Bicycle Day: Celebrating 50 Years of LSD [Details]

Held at the University of California, Santa Cruz, this event was partially sponsored by the Island Group.

Oct 21-22, 1993

50 Years of LSD: Current Status and Perspectives of Hallucinogens 23 [Details]

Held in Lugano-Agno, Switzerland and produced by the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences, proceedings from this event were published as 50 Years of LSD: Current Status and Perspectives of Hallucinogens, edited by A. Pletscher and D. Ladewig.

Jan 13-15, 2006

LSD: Problem Child and Wonder Drug Conference [Details] [More Info]

Held at the Convention Center in Basel, Switzerland, this event was presented by the Gaia Media Foundation as an International Symposium on the occasion of the 100th Birthday of Albert Hofmann.

May 2006

Survey results published in Neurology show that both psilocybin-containing mushrooms and LSD may reduce severity and frequency of cluster headaches. 24 [Details] [More Info]

Erowid participated in this research by working with Clusterbusters.com to publish and solicit responses to a survey about the use of psilocybin to treat cluster headaches. Some of the participants in the later Sewell survey were found through Erowid's earlier online survey.

Apr 29, 2008

Albert Hofmann dies. 25 [Details] [More Info]

Swiss inventor of LSD, and discoverer of the active principles of magic mushrooms and morning glory seeds, Albert Hofmann, passes away from heart failure. He was 102 years old.

April 29-early May, 2013

Albert Hofmann dies again, virtually, as a wave of fresh mourners, 'friends', and those compelled to comment, twitter their thumbs while hoovering blog bytes and forwarding partially read news articles from five years ago. [Details] [More Info]

The "news" was mostly spread via social media sites, but it also hit the "comments" sections of some blogs as the quote below attests:

<<10 Responses to �LSD inventor Albert Hofmann dead at age 102�
This is truly sad news!
rollingwriter said this on May 1, 2013 at 9:52 AM [...]>>

and some people even created fresh blogs for the occasion (click More Info for URL).

March 2014

First government-approved experimental study giving LSD to humans published since the work by Reese Jones and Roger Foltz et al. in San Francisco in the late 1980s. Additional unpublished government-approved LSD psychotherapy was conducted by the Swiss Medical Society for Psycholytic Therapy from 1988 through 1993. This Gasser et al. study showed that giving dying patients the drug in a therapeutic context reduced anxiety. This study was conducted in Switzerland. 26, 21, 22 [Details] [More Info]

Twelve subjects with life-threatening illnesses and anxiety disorder. Some were given LSD at 200 ug, others 20 ug in a supportive, therapeutic context. Those who received 20ug could choose to participate in a full dose session. They then participated in a number of drug-free therapy sessions. The researchers found a reduction in anxiety from the LSD-therapy sessions.