Bicycle Day
On this day 79 years ago (April 19, 1943) a 37-year-old Swiss scientist by the name of Dr. Albert Hofmann decided to take a bike ride. However, this was no ordinary bike ride. This was a scientific experiment. Prior to venturing on his bike ride from his laboratory in Basel, Switzerland, to his home, Hofmann took 250 micrograms of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)—an amount smaller than pepper seed, but enough to have a huge impact on him.
Less than an hour after ingesting the LSD, Hofmann began to feel the effects of the drug. He began to feel strange and noticed intense changes in his perception. He then decided to ride his bicycle home, accompanied by his lab assistant. It was during this ride home that Hofmann felt the full effects of the drug, making this the first ever “acid trip.” Initially, he dealt with feelings of anxiety and paranoia, believing his next-door neighbor was an evil witch and that he was going insane because the LSD had poisoned him.
However, after arriving at his home, Hofmann was quickly examined by his doctor who couldn’t detect any physical abnormalities, aside from a pair of dilated pupils. Feeling reassured nothing was wrong, Hofmann’s anxiety and fear were soon replaced with feelings of joy and fascination, stating: "Little by little I could begin to enjoy the unprecedented colors and plays of shapes that persisted behind my closed eyes. Kaleidoscopic, fantastic images surged in on me, alternating, variegated, opening and then closing themselves in circles and spirals, exploding in colored fountains, rearranging and hybridizing themselves in constant flux."
1st Bicycle Day
The first actual celebration of “Bicycle Day” dates back to 1985 in DeKalb, Illinois, when Professor Thomas B. Roberts from Northern Illinois University coined the term and held a small celebration at his home. This small-scale event grew rapidly in popularity the following years, thanks largely due to students who spread the word on forums and online. It is now more popular than ever, with thousands of people celebrating every year.
Interesting to note, Roberts originally intended Bicycle Day to fall on April 16 (the day Hofmann originally discovered LSD by accidental exposure), but since that day fell in the middle of the week (not a good time for a party), Roberts decided on the 19th instead—Hofmann’s first intentional exposure and subsequent bike ride.
Benefits of Psychedelics
As much as Bicycle Day is a good day for a party, it is also an appropriate time to celebrate Hofmann’s discovery and reflect on the benefits of psychedelics.
In a 2020 field study done by Yale University of more than 1,200 people attending multi-day arts and musical festivals in the U.S. and U.K., it was found that people who had recently taken psychedelics, such as LSD or psilocybin (magic mushrooms) were more likely to report having “transformative experiences” so profound that they came out of the experience radically changed. These transformative experiences were in turn, associated with feelings of social connectedness and positive mood. By contrast, those who abstained from substance use, drank alcohol or took other drugs such as cocaine or opioids did not report transformative experiences, increased connectedness with others or positive mood to the same degree.
In addition, other studies have found psychedelic-assisted therapy to be helpful in treating anxiety, depression, substance use, alcohol use, and PTSD.
In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) named psilocybin-assisted therapy as a potential "breakthrough therapy" for depression. This designation helped lead to even more studies of psychedelics that show great potential in the treatment of numerous mental health conditions. It is fun to think that these promising discoveries trace back to Hoffman’s glorious bike ride.