# Albert Hofmann, inventor of LSD, dead at 102 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 30, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413 "2008-04-30T00:01:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/1 "2008-04-30T00:01:33Z")
From [The Telegraph](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1912485/Albert-Hofmann,-LSD-inventor,-dies.html): > [@](#): > > Albert Hofmann, who died on Tuesday aged 102, synthesised lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in 1938 and became the first person in the world to experience a full-blown acid trip. The 60s would’ve been quite different without him. Godspeed, Dr. Hofmann. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/2 "2008-04-30T00:54:04Z")
The 80s would have been very different as well. RIP, Dr. Hofmann. Thanks for the good times! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/3 "2008-04-30T01:19:58Z")
[QUOTE=Astroboy14] The 80s would have been very different as well. [/QUOTE] For me too. I don’t trip anymore but I’d almost be tempted to in his honor at the Phil show in L.A. in a couple of weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/4 "2008-04-30T01:40:49Z")
[QUOTE=hajario] I don’t trip anymore but I’d almost be tempted to in his honor at the Phil show in L.A. in a couple of weeks. [/QUOTE] I don’t either, but there hasn’t been much in the way of temptation 'round these parts for the last eight or nine years. (During that time I’ve been given a couple of tabs, but they always vanished before I found the right time.) The man certainly left a legacy. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/5 "2008-04-30T02:22:20Z")
Shucks! I was one degree of separation from him, and I’d held out hope that one day I might just meet him. It was too much to ask for though, as I rarely get out to Zurich. My wifes old boss interviewed him. Naturally, he lives in Zurich now. Hoffman lived forever. Talk about an old time chemist. They didn’t have NMR in his day. They characterized stuff the old fashoned way. They used chemical methods. RIP ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/6 "2008-04-30T02:48:28Z")
Two trips in '70s were more than enough for me. The first time was amazing, the second time was not. Still, I don’t regret the “experiment”. Thanks, Albert. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/7 "2008-04-30T03:44:22Z")
What a trip! ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/8 "2008-04-30T04:00:18Z")
These days I’m taking a trip _not_ taking a trip. But I don’t regret LSD. Thanks Doc ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/9 "2008-04-30T07:58:24Z")
Dr Hofmann, if LSD is your “problem child”, then Hydergine is truly your wonder child. I take this remarkable drug every day, and have been doing so for years. You were really a remarkable scientist in every sense of the word. ---
**Author:** ![Ritter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ritter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ritter)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/10 "2008-04-30T08:38:49Z")
What is Hydergine? Hold on, Wikipedia. I think I need to ‘take a sacrament’ in Dr Hofmann’s honour in the near future. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/11 "2008-04-30T09:17:35Z")
I’ll never forget one day when I was in college, sitting in the smoking area of the “cool” cafeteria, wearing my black trenchcoat and fedora, listening to Nine Inch Nails at full volume in my head phones, just hating the world, when a guy comes up to me. I see his lips move, take off my headphones, and the guy says, “Here, you look like you could use this.” then hands me a rolled up piece of paper. I thank him, he walks out, I unroll it, figuring it’d be some kind of fundie crap, and discover that it’s a psychedelic poster featuring Hofmann in the center of it, with “Fifty years ago today, Albert Hofmann fell off his bicycle.” Having partaken of the good doctor’s medicine a time or thirty, I quickly realized that the date, indeed, was correct, and began laughing hysterically. Wish I could honor him properly. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/12 "2008-04-30T11:43:33Z")
Albert Hofmann Charter Tripper “…and became the first person in the world to experience a full-blown acid trip.” _Morning, Albert. So how was your weekend?_ ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/13 "2008-04-30T11:49:44Z")
102? What does this say about the argument that taking drugs will shorten your life? I understand that Dr. Hoffman did indeed try out his creation. At least he’s not one of those inventors killed by his own invention. > **[Inventions Which Killed Their Creators](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=465962)** > > Interesting blog post about folks who were killed by their own inventions. One of the more interesting ones: You can see the video of it here. (Not terribly graphic, it having been shot during the silent film era.) ---
**Author:** ![nd\_n8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/439d5e/32.png) [@nd\_n8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nd_n8)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/14 "2008-04-30T12:36:16Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] 102? What does this say about the argument that taking drugs will shorten your life? I understand that Dr. Hoffman did indeed try out his creation. At least he’s not one of those inventors killed by his own invention. > **[Inventions Which Killed Their Creators](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=465962)** > > Interesting blog post about folks who were killed by their own inventions. One of the more interesting ones: You can see the video of it here. (Not terribly graphic, it having been shot during the silent film era.) [/QUOTE] Not necessarily: [QUOTE=Johnnie Bond] You see I come from a great long line of stink eh drinkers I had an uncle once he drank a quart a day everyday of his life No kiddin’ he could drink a quart an not even stagger He couldn’t even move we told him we said You’d better quit drinkin that stuff it’s gonna kill you Sure enough it killed him He died last year at the age of 102 Don’t laugh we dug him up last week And he looks better than ya’ll do now [/QUOTE] Rest well Dr. Hoffman, what a long strange trip it’s been. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/15 "2008-04-30T18:48:08Z")
Me from the now [locked thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=466076) on the same subject. > [@](#): > > Funny, I hadn’t given any thought to Albert Hofmann, or the psychedelic world in general, in quite some years. Last week I met a guy who mentioned that he’d just met AH and that he was 102 (it honestly didn’t even occur to me that he might still be alive). > > RIP AH. Thanks for the many long strange trips. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/16 "2008-04-30T21:23:24Z")
He was a smart guy. Thanks, Al. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/17 "2008-04-30T23:05:08Z")
Did Dr. Hoffman ver report any great revelations from his experiences? Or was the whole LSD thing just a few plasant trips? ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albert-hofmann-inventor-of-lsd-dead-at-102/447413/18 "2008-05-01T02:08:33Z")
[Dr. Hofmann (illustration by Alex Grey)](http://www.technoccult.com/wp-content/sthofmann.jpg), May you ride that fine bicycle into yond with aplomb. A good long life to a fine man.