Prepared to expand your mind?
Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down our picks for
the top ten people whose lives were affected by LSD.
Number ten. Timothy Leary. After being exposed to the mind-opening properties of
certain mushrooms,
Timothy Leary became interested in the comparable effects
produced by LSD.
The American psychologist then undertook
numerous experiments with the drug to demonstrate its potential for
therapeutic use.
Many of his subjects spoke positively of the experiences,
though researchers later disputed some results.
Number nine.
Doc Ellis.
On June 12th 1970,
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Doc Ellis played an entire game
against the San Diego Padres while high on acid,
and threw a no hitter to boot.
He ingested LSD without realizing he was playing that night,
and through his haze, he managed to strike out six batters.
Meanwhile he thought the ball was changing sizes and that Jimi Hendrix
and Richard Nixon were playing with him.
Number eight. Jack Nicholson.
Jack Nicholson may have acid to thank for helping his Hollywood career take off.
During the 1950s, the actor participated in LSD experiments
conducted by Dr. Oscar Janiger.
These eye-opening experiences inspired him to write the screenplay for The trip,
which was an LSD-themed movie that became a cult hit,
and paved the way for his later success.
Number seven. Ken Kesey.
Before writing his acclaimed novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,
Ken Kesey experienced the effects of LSD
in both professional and private settings.
He took various psychoactive drugs as a test subject
in the CIA's project MK-ultra and had access to halluciongens while working at
the State Veterans Hospital.
These experiments inspired his 1962 novel
and led Kesey to organize LSD-fueled parties known as acid tests.
Number six. Hunter S. Thompson.
When this American writer and journalist wrote about himself and his work
he often mixed real life with make-believe.
This was the case with his most famous work
the drug-filled Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
It therefore shouldn't be a surprise that Thompson used
alcohol, LSD and other chemical substances during his lifetime.
Number five. Aldous Huxley.
The man behind the dystopian novel Brave New World
was an avid proponent of LSD and psychedelic drugs during the 40s and 50s.
The British writer even documented the mind-altering effects of mescaline
in his book The Doors of Perception. However it was perhaps
Aldous Huxley's last request that really demonstrated the importance of
these drugs in his life. While dying of cancer he asked his wife to inject him with LSD.
Number four. The Beatles.
The Beatles were certainly not the only band
to experiment with drugs,
but they were definitely one of the biggest and most popular to do so.
The group may have gotten there first taste of LDS by accident, but that
fateful moment turned several members into
acid users thereafter. It was years later that Paul McCartney
finally validated longstanding speculation about the tracks Day Tripper
and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by confirming they were
about drugs. Other notable musicians associated with LSD
included the Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix.
Number three. Kary Mullis.
If it weren't for LSD, Kary Mullis may never have won
the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1993.
In his autobiography the American biochemist confessed it was his
drug of choice during the 60s and 70s.
He further revealed that these experiences helped him develop the
technology for which he won the award,
which was used to amplify DNA sequences.
Number two. Steve Jobs. It may be surprising to some
but the late cofounder of one of the world's most successful companies
claim that taking LSD was one of the most important experiences of his life.
Steve Jobs called his experiments with acid during the 1970s
a magical and spiritual time. However he also asserted
they made him feel like an outcast.
Ultimately Jobs believed his drug use indelibly changed
the type of leader he became.
Number One. Dr Albert Hofmann.
You wouldn't expect a straight scientist to be a closet drug user,
but it was actually a Swiss chemist who first experienced
the psychedelic qualities of LSD.
Dr. Albert Hofmann synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide
in 1938 and deliberately ingested it
five years later on April 19th 1943.
His faculties were so affected by this LSD trip that he had to be taken home
on a bike by his lab assistant and that day is now celebrated
as bicycle day.