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Today in History: Albert Hofmann synthesizes LSD in Basel, Switzerland

11/16/2025

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Story summary

On November 16, 1938, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in Basel, Switzerland. This groundbreaking discovery marked the beginning of LSD's exploration as a powerful hallucinogenic drug, which would later influence psychiatry and 1960s counterculture, and has seen renewed scientific interest in recent years.

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Story summary

On November 16, 1938, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in Basel, Switzerland. This groundbreaking discovery marked the beginning of LSD's exploration as a powerful hallucinogenic drug, which would later influence psychiatry and 1960s counterculture, and has seen renewed scientific interest in recent years.