Albert Hofmann: The Man Who 'Invented' L.S.D. And Bicycle Day

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A portrait of late Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann at the Swiss National Library on September 21, 2018 in Bern. (Fabrice Cofferini/AFP via Getty Images)

You've probably never wondered who invented L.S.D., but it's not like that stuff grows out of the ground. Someone had to spend considerable time in a lab before they hit on the exact combination of chemicals that makes jam bands sound good. That person was a Swiss chemist named Albert Hofmann, thousands of miles and decades away from the hippie hangouts of Haight-Ashbury.