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1201
13th Century China
The first case ever recorded using forensic science. A man in the village was stabbed causing all of the knives to be collected, laid out, then were examined with the background knowledge of flies being attracted to traces of blood. -
Mathieu Orfila
Known as the "Father of Forensic Toxicology" due to his publication of the first scientific paper on the detection of poisons and their effects on animals. -
William Herschel
Used thumbprints on documents to identify workers in India. -
Alphonse Bertillon
"Father of Criminal Identification" who developed anthropometry which uses body measurements to distinguish individuals. -
Henry Faulds
Uses fingerprints to eliminate an innocent burglary suspect. -
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Published his first Sherlock Holmes story; considered the first "CSI", featured in four novels and 56 short stories, popularized scientific crime-detection methods. -
Fancis Galton
Published Finger Prints. Conducted the first definitive study for fingerprints and their classification. Gave proof of their uniqueness. -
Hans Gross
Wrote the first paper describing the application of scientific principles to the field of criminal investigation. Published Criminal Investigation. -
Karl Landsteiner
Discovered the ABO blood groups, later received Nobel prize. -
Edmond Locard
Incorporated Gross' principles with a workable crime lab; became the founder and director of the institute of Criminalistics at the University of Lions, France -
Albert S. Osborn
Published Questioned Documents. Developed the fundamental principles of document examination -
August Vollmer
Established the First Crime Lab in the United States, located in Los Angeles -
Calvin Goddard
Developed a comparison microscope; first used to compare bullets to see if fired from the same weapon. -
Leon Lattes
Developed a method for determining blood type from dried blood.
