Short answers, pulled from the story.
Albert Hofmann synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide on the 16th of November 1938. This event occurred at Sandoz Laboratories in Basel while he was searching for a respiratory stimulant.
Hofmann experienced dizziness and visual distortions which led him to ingest 250 micrograms of the substance on the 19th of April 1943. This intentional trial revealed effects far stronger than any ergot alkaloid previously known.
Sandoz stopped production and distribution in 1965 because their patents expired. The company had introduced LSD as a psychiatric drug named Delysid in 1947 before this date.
LSD exerts its effects primarily through high-affinity binding to serotonin receptors especially the 5-HT2A receptor. A crystal structure reveals an extracellular loop forms a lid over the diethylamide end trapping LSD in the binding pocket.
Possession became illegal in the United States on the 24th of October 1968. This legal change followed the adoption of hallucinogenic drugs by youth countercultures in California during the mid-1960s.
The United States Food and Drug Administration designated LSD code name MM120 as a breakthrough therapy for generalized anxiety disorder in 2024. No legally approved medical uses exist today despite positive preliminary results from current studies.