Steroids
Timeline
| 1889 | A French physiologist Charles Brown-Sequard markets a 'rejuvinating elixir' which is a liquid extract made from the testicles of guinea pigs and dogs. This is the first known product containing testosterone. | |
| 1935 | Testosterone is first synthesized by Butenandt and Ruzicka who earn a nobel prize in chemistry for the accomplishment. | |
| World War II | German soldiers are said to be given testosterone to increase their performance on the battlefield. | |
| 1940s | Testosterone is first introduced into the sporting arena. | |
| 1952 | Russian olympic team performs extremely well at its first games in Helsinki. Accusations are made of steroid use, especially by the wrestling team. | |
| 1953 | The first anabolic steroid '19-nortestosterone' is synthesized. It has three to five times the muscle building effects of testosterone. | |
| 1954 | At the world weightlifting championships in Vienaa, a Soviet Union coach informs U.S. coach Dr. John Ziegler that the Soviet team was using testosterone. On returning home, Dr. Ziegler began using testosterone with his weightlifters. | |
| 1950s - 1970s | Steroid use spreads as more and more athletes begin using in order to compete against those who are allegedly already doing so. | |
| 1975 | Steroid use is banned by the International Olympic Committee for the 1976 Olympics. | |
| 1980s | The grey-market production and sale of steroids thrives. | |
| Jul 1981 | U.S. discus thrower Ben Plucknett tests positive for anabolic steroids. He loses his world record title and becomes the first athlete to be disqualified by the International Association of Athletic Federations because of a positive drug test. 1 | |
| 1984 | First reported case of a bodybuilder contracting aids after sharing a needle for steroid use. | |
| 1987 | The NFL begins testing players for steroids. 1 | |
| 1988 | Sale of anabolic steroids for non-medical purposes becomes illegal under a new Food and Drug Act provision, the 'Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988'. 2 | |
| 1988 | Ben Johnson, the Canadian sprinter who won the 100-meter race in the Summer Olympics, had his gold medal taken away when the steroid "stanozolol" was found in his urine. | |
| Nov 29, 1990 | Anabolic Steroids become illegal to sell or possess without a prescription in the U.S. with the passage of the Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 1990 which adds Anabolic steroids to Schedule III of the Controlled Substance Act. 2 | |
| 1999 | The IOC creates the World Anti-Doping Agency. 1 | |
| 2000 | The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency USADA is established. 1 | |
| 2003 | Major League Baseball institutes its first anti-steroid policy. 1 | |
| 2003 | Steroids hit the news with a series of raids and investigations by the USADA into baseball player Barry Bonds's possible use of steroids and the involvement of BALCO as a supplier. 1 | |
| May 6, 2006 | Cyclist Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France, is cleared of doping allegations connected to the 1999 Tour de France by the International Cycling Union. 1 | |
| Dec 12, 2007 | The IOC strips former gold medalist Marion Jones of the five medals she won at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. She is later sentenced to six months in prison. 1 | |
| Dec 13, 2007 | The Mitchell Report is released, linking several current and former Major League Baseball players such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Eric Gagne, Gary Sheffield, and Paul Lo Duca to alleged use of performance-enhancing substances. 1 | |
| Jan 15, 2008 | The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee holds hearings in response to the Mitchell Report on doping in Major League Baseball. 1 | |
| Aug 14, 2012 | USADA strips Lance Armstrong of all Tour de France titles and bans him for life from competition. His bronze medal from the 2000 Olympic Games is stripped by the IOC on Jan 17, 2013. 1 | |
| Mar 22, 2013 | MLB files a lawsuit against Florida anti-aging clinic Biogenesis of America and several of its employees, accusing them of providing banned performance-enhancing drugs to baseball players. 1 |