Abbott “Abbie” Hoffman was a US left-wing political activist, and founder of the Yippies (Youth International Party), a political offshoot of the hippies.
He was also a member of the Chicago Seven, a radical group tried for attempting to disrupt the 1968 Democratic Convention.
Hoffman was arrested 52 times and was a fugitive from justice between 1973 and 1980. He specialised in imaginative political gestures to gain media attention, for example throwing dollar bills to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in 1967.
He also campaigned against the Vietnam War and, later, for the environment. His books include Revolution for the Hell of It (1969).
Hoffman interrupted a live performance by The Who at Woodstock in 1969 by walking on to the stage, grabbing a microphone and attempting to speak against the jailing of John Sinclair of the White Panther Party.
Guitarist Pete Townshend ran at him and rammed his guitar into his back, screaming “Fuck off! Fuck off my fucking stage” before shoving Hoffman in the face and pushing him backwards to the wings.
Abbie Hoffman was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1980 and committed suicide on 12 April 1989 by swallowing 150 Phenobarbital tablets.
His body was found in his Pennsylvania apartment, surrounded by hundreds of pages of handwritten rantings and notes.
Related Posts
Joh Bjelke-Petersen 1 9 1 1 - 2 0 0 5 Johannes ("Joh") Bjelke-Petersen was an Australian right-wing politician, leader of the…
Jeremy Thorpe John Jeremy Thorpe was born on 29 April 1929, the youngest child of a leading lawyer and former Conservative MP,…
Richard Nixon 1 9 1 3 - 1 9 9 4 Unless you were actually there, it's hard to imagine just how…
Patty Hearst Patricia Campbell Hearst and Steven Weed were home in their Berkeley apartment watching The Magician on TV at nine o'clock on the…
Hippies Like no other time before, the ’60s exploded into personal freedom and self-expression, seen through bands of teenagers with unique…
Protest Movement Protests in the 1960s can be divided into two main categories; those provoked by racial tensions, such as the ghetto…
Denise Drysdale Australia's most famous Go-Go dancer, Denise Drysdale's name was actually spelt with a 'c' (Denice) but she changed the spelling…
Jack Ruby Jack Ruby was born Jacob Leon Rubenstein on 25 March 1911 in the Maxwell Street area of Chicago. His parents…
