LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) was invented by Dr. Albert Hoffman, a chemist working for Sandoz Chemical Works in Switzerland. Scientists at the laboratory were concerned with isolating the active portions of certain chemical compounds. Ergot is a compound that has historically been used to induce childbirth by producing uterine contractions. Scientists around the world began trying to isolate the core compound of ergot. Scientists working at the Rockefeller Institute of New York succeeded doing this, naming it lysergic acid. Hoffman began his attempts to artificially synthesize various alkaloids using the lysergic acid core. In his quest to create a respiratory and circulatory stimulant, Hoffman stumbled upon LSD-25 in 1938. While this variant caused uterine contractions, the pharmacists at Sandoz ignored the new drug. The popular drug is sometimes referred to as LSD-25 since it ws the 25th formulation that Hoffman had worked with. The formula for LSD-25 sat untouched for the next five years. In 1943, after experimenting with the chemical compound, Hoffman entered the following laboratory report in his notebook:

"Last Friday on the 16th of April I had to leave my work in the laboratory and go home because I felt strangely restless and dizzy. I got home, lay down and sank into a not unpleasant delirium which was characterized by an extreme degree of fantasy (a kind of trance). I kept my eyes closed because I found the daylight very unpleasant. Fantastic vision of extraordinary vividness accompanied by a kaleidoscopic-like play of intense coloration continuously swirled around my head. The condition lasted for about two hours" ([1] p.279).