Bicycle Day is an annual “holiday” on April 19 that psychedelic enthusiasts celebrate. However, Bicycle Day is more than just that, as it represents a major event in psychedelic history.
April 19 is the day that the effects of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) were discovered by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann.
It was on that date in 1943 that Hofmann experienced LSD for the first time in human history. After taking the psychedelic, he went for a bike ride, testing the drug’s effects on himself.
Hofmann’s experience that afternoon was not as pleasant as some might imagine. But this did not prevent the scientist from continuing his research into LSD’s therapeutic properties.
Arguably, the world’s biggest psychedelic holiday, a professor from Northern Illinois University, Thomas Roberts, began celebrating it in 1985.
What Is Bicycle Day? Explaining How It Began
It takes its name from the legendary experiment of 1943, in which Albert Hoffmann took a bike ride after ingesting a large dose of LSD and discovering its hallucinogenic effects.
Who Is Albert Hofmann?
Albert Hofmann was the first person to synthesize, ingest and study LSD.
Riding A Bike On A Bad Trip
On April 19, he voluntarily took 250 micrograms of LSD — which is a strong dose. By comparison, the Global Drug Survey recommends between 100 and 200 micrograms.
Hoffman then realized that “altered perceptions were of the same type as before, only much more intense.”
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