Albert Hofmann

1906 – 2008

Albert Hofmann was a Swiss chemist who in 1938 first synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide while researching ergot derivatives at Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, and on 19 April 1943 became the first person to discover its psychoactive effects after accidentally absorbing a dose through his fingertips. He later isolated and named the principal psychedelic mushroom compounds psilocybin and psilocin, and he authored more than 100 scientific papers as well as the autobiographical LSD: My Problem Child. He spent the rest of his life arguing that his discovery should be a tool of medicine and self-knowledge rather than a criminalized substance.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM