On January 11, 2008, Sir Edmund Hillary, the first climber to climb Everest, died. Also on January 11, but in 1906, Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who discovered the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), was born.
Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay/PHOTO: Getty Images
1906: Albert Hofmann, the chemist who discovered the psychedelic effects of LSD
Born on January 11, 1906, in Baden, Switzerland, Albert Hofmann was a Swiss chemist known for being the first to synthesize, ingest, and discover the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
Albert Hofmann/PHOTO: Wikipedia
Hofmann studied at the University of Zurich, graduating in 1929 with a doctorate in medicinal chemistry. After graduation, he was employed by the Sandoz laboratories in Basel, where he was assigned to a program to develop methods for the synthesis of compounds found in medicinal plants, Britanica writes.
There, the chemist discovered LSD-25 (the 25th derivative tested) in 1938. His initial discovery was shelved for five years, until April 1943, when he returned to his earlier research on the compound.
After accidentally ingesting a small amount of the synthesized drug, he experienced dream-like hallucinations. Following the first experience, Hofmann intentionally ingested the drug several times, concluding that it might be useful in psychiatric treatment.
Hofmann studied the hallucinogenic effects of LSD for years, believing that it might be useful in psychiatric treatments, especially for schizophrenics.
Although he did not approve of recreational use in the 1960s, he argued that, administered under controlled conditions, LSD could also be useful in spiritual contexts, an idea he presented in his book “LSD: My Problem Child” (1980).
The chemist died on April 29, 2008, in Switzerland, at the age of 102.
1909: Ion IC Brătianu becomes the president of the National Liberal Party
Ion IC Brătianu was born on August 20, 1864, in Argeș county, and was a politician, engineer, prime minister of Romania, president of the National Liberal Party, honorary member of the Romanian Academy.
Ion IC Brătianu/PHOTO: Virtual Museum
On January 11, 1909, the party Congress took place, which appointed him to the position of president of the National Liberal Party, with great enthusiasm, because he represented “everything that was best for the party and the country”, writes the Encyclopedia of Romania.
From the inaugural speech, the new president established two fundamental principles for the future activity: freedom of discussion and discipline in action. After tenacious work and struggle for a decade, Ion IC Brătianu saw his dream come true, that of being president of the National Liberal Party. He was 45 years old and had the most powerful tool to carry out his political work.
Ion IC Brătianu, carrying the weight of his reputation, had a remarkable political career, leading and influencing governments for two decades.
King Ferdinand I considered him “the good sign of Romania”, and the opposition called him “uncrowned king”. Through his reforms and contribution to the realization of Greater Romania, Brătianu is considered by historians to be the greatest Romanian politician.
1923: France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area of Germany
The Ruhr occupation was the period from 11 January 1923 to 25 August 1925 when French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr region of Germany.
The occupation of the highly industrialized region was a reaction to Germany's refusal to pay the war reparations demanded by the Treaty of Versailles.
During the occupation of the Ruhr, German civilians resorted to passive resistance and sabotage, which crippled the region's economy and resulted in casualties (approximately 137 dead and 600 wounded). The economic crisis deepened, with the government printing money to support workers and firms, which contributed to hyperinflation.
After the currency was stabilized in late 1923, France and Belgium accepted the Dawes Plan of 1924, which reduced war reparations and allowed the withdrawal of troops by August 1925.
The occupation of the Ruhr contributed to the growth of radical right-wing movements in Germany. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party used the occupation as justification for the Beer Hall Putsch of November 1923, which first brought them much public attention.
1955: Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark dies
Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark was born on May 24, 1904, in Greece. She was the second daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia.
Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark/PHOTO: Wikipedia
Princess Elizabeth spent her childhood between the Kingdom of Greece and the Russian Empire. However, World War I and the divisions it brought to Greece forced the teenager and her family into exile in Switzerland between 1917 and 1920. Returning to her country after the restoration of King Constantine I, she was exiled again with the proclamation of the Second Hellenic Republic in 1924.
Settled in Paris and penniless, she traveled frequently to visit her family and worked for an American cosmetics brand. After several unsuccessful engagements, she married Count Carl Theodor de Törring-Jettenbach in 1934, with whom she had two children.
In Germany, under Hitler's dictatorship, the couple felt Nazi influence because of their family ties, which created tensions during World War II.
She died of cancer in 1955 and was buried in the Törring family mausoleum.
1998: More than 100 people are killed in the Sidi-Hamed massacre
The Sidi-Hamed massacre took place on the night of January 11, 1998, in the Algerian town of Sidi-Hamed. About fifty gunmen participated, targeting children and adults.
They bombed a movie cafe and a mosque in nearby Haouche Sahraoui, killing those trying to flee, and entered homes to kill those inside.
According to official figures, 103 people were killed and 70 wounded, including two pro-government fighters and five of the attackers. Other sources indicate a higher number of victims; AFP reportedly counted more than 120 bodies, and some Algerian newspapers claimed there were 400.
The massacre was generally attributed to the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA). One newspaper claimed that survivors attributed it to the Islamic Salvation Front (AIS).
2008: Sir Edmund Hillary, the first climber to scale Everest, died
Born on 20 July 1919 in Auckland, New Zealand, Sir Edmund Hillary was a mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist.
Hillary has been interested in rock climbing since high school. His first major ascent was in 1939 when he reached the summit of Mount Ollivier. He served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a navigator during World War II and was injured in an accident.
Prior to the Everest expedition, Hillary was part of the British expedition to reconnoitre the mountain in 1951, as well as an unsuccessful attempt to climb Cho Oyu in 1952.
In May 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent of Mount Everest. The expedition fulfilled a dream of all mankind, for after the conquest of the North and South poles, the highest point of the planet remained the last great objective.
Hillary's success was followed by many attempts, and climbing the mountain became an occasion for record hunters.
The Everest expeditions would have been impossible without the Sherpas, even if they weren't given much credit. the Sherpas did not even know that Everest was the highest peak in the world until the English came to recruit porters from the inhabitants at the base of the mountain.
On 22 April 2007, during a trip to Kathmandu, Hillary suffered a fall and was hospitalized after returning to New Zealand. On 11 January 2008, he died of heart failure at Auckland City Hospital, aged 88.
