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The Accidental Invention of LSD—and the Bicycle Ride That Followed | Smartest Year Ever (August 2, 2025)
In this episode of Accidental Genius Week, Gordy unpacks one of the strangest scientific surprises of the 20th century: how a Swiss chemist trying to create a circulatory stimulant instead unlocked one of the most powerful psychoactive substances in human history.
Before the 1960s counterculture, before the CIA’s secret programs, before the mind-expanding experiments of modern psychedelic therapy—there was a lab in Basel, a toxic rye fungus, and one wild bike ride that changed everything.
It’s the true story of Albert Hofmann, ergot, and the moment a failed pharmaceutical compound became the cornerstone of an entire era of consciousness exploration.
This episode blends pharmacology, neuroscience, history, and just a touch of "what-the-hell-was-he-thinking" energy into one unforgettable ride.
Watch until the end to find out how LSD went from lab reject to global phenomenon—and what scientists are doing with it now.
Sources:
Hofmann, A. (1980). LSD: My Problem Child. McGraw-Hill.
Dyck, E. (2005). Flashback: Psychiatric experimentation with LSD in historical perspective. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 50(7), 381–388.
Nichols, D. E. (2016). Psychedelics. Pharmacological Reviews, 68(2), 264–355.
Sessa, B. (2005). Can psychedelics have a role in psychiatry once again? British Journal of Psychiatry, 186(6), 457–458.
Mangini, M. (1998). Treatment of alcoholism using psychedelic drugs: A review of the program of research. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 30(4), 381–418.
Carhart-Harris, R. L., et al. (2016). LSD enhances suggestibility in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology, 233(6), 999–1010.
#psychedelics #AlbertHofmann #LSDhistory #neuroscience #DailyFacts #scientists #LSD #drughistory #medicine Music thanks to Zapsplat.
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By GordyIn this episode of Accidental Genius Week, Gordy unpacks one of the strangest scientific surprises of the 20th century: how a Swiss chemist trying to create a circulatory stimulant instead unlocked one of the most powerful psychoactive substances in human history.
Before the 1960s counterculture, before the CIA’s secret programs, before the mind-expanding experiments of modern psychedelic therapy—there was a lab in Basel, a toxic rye fungus, and one wild bike ride that changed everything.
It’s the true story of Albert Hofmann, ergot, and the moment a failed pharmaceutical compound became the cornerstone of an entire era of consciousness exploration.
This episode blends pharmacology, neuroscience, history, and just a touch of "what-the-hell-was-he-thinking" energy into one unforgettable ride.
Watch until the end to find out how LSD went from lab reject to global phenomenon—and what scientists are doing with it now.
Sources:
Hofmann, A. (1980). LSD: My Problem Child. McGraw-Hill.
Dyck, E. (2005). Flashback: Psychiatric experimentation with LSD in historical perspective. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 50(7), 381–388.
Nichols, D. E. (2016). Psychedelics. Pharmacological Reviews, 68(2), 264–355.
Sessa, B. (2005). Can psychedelics have a role in psychiatry once again? British Journal of Psychiatry, 186(6), 457–458.
Mangini, M. (1998). Treatment of alcoholism using psychedelic drugs: A review of the program of research. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 30(4), 381–418.
Carhart-Harris, R. L., et al. (2016). LSD enhances suggestibility in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology, 233(6), 999–1010.
#psychedelics #AlbertHofmann #LSDhistory #neuroscience #DailyFacts #scientists #LSD #drughistory #medicine Music thanks to Zapsplat.