In 1938, a Swiss chemist named Albert Hofmann created a compound called LSD-25.

Nobody thought much about it.

The company shelved it, and it sat there for years.

Then something strange happened.

Hofmann couldn't stop thinking about it.

What followed would become one of the most unusual stories of the twentieth century—a story involving accidental discovery, secret government experiments, the counterculture of the 1960s, Silicon Valley, and humanity's endless fascination with consciousness itself.

In this episode of Rosenberg, we explore how a forgotten laboratory compound escaped into the wider world and became one of the most influential and controversial substances in modern history.

Topics discussed:

• Albert Hofmann
• Bicycle Day
• LSD-25
• MKUltra
• The CIA
• Counterculture
• Consciousness
• Psychology
• Silicon Valley
• Steve Jobs
• The history of psychedelics

History • Technology • Culture • Society

Rosenberg is an audio-first exploration of the stories, ideas, and historical moments that shape how we understand ourselves and the world around us.