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700 BCE
Chinese start fingerprinting
The Chinese start finger printing for the first time by using clay, even though they had no way of classifying them. -
250 BCE
First Lie Detector Test
A physician in Greece creates the first lie detector test, he would record if their heartbeat elevated which showed him they were lying. -
44 BCE
First Autopsy
Julius Caesar is assassinated. Following this event, a physician performed an autopsy, and determined that of the 23 wounds found on the body, only one was fatal. -
1248
First Forensic Science Book
The Chinese start recording the medical knowledge they learn to help them determine cause of death. Such strangulation being recognized over drowning.. A book created by Hsi DuanYu, published by the Chinese. This book was the first recorded application of medical knowledge to the solution of crime. -
Investigating poisoning
German chemist Valentin Ross developed a method of detecting arsenic in a victim's stomach, thus advancing the investigation of poison deaths. -
Ballistic Testing
By the mid-1800s investigators started using bullet comparison to solve shooting murders. -
Photo Identification
Investigators started using photo identification -
Fingerprint ID
Juan Vucetich and a Argentinean police officer, was the first to use fingerprint ID. They created the system which they later termed dactyloscopy. -
Investigations into blood markers
Human blood grouping, ABO, discovered by Karl Landsteiner and adapted for use on bloodstains by Dieter Max Richter. -
polygraph
Prototype polygraph, which was invented by John Larson in 1921, developed for use in police stations. -
Gunshot Residue
Police were now able to tell where guns were fired and even who fired them if there was leftover residue on their clothing or hands. -
DNA Profiling
Police now can use hair, blood, or any other forms of DNA to tell who was at the crime scene. -
Footwear detection system
Britain's Forensic Science Service develops online footwear coding and detection system. This helps police to identify footwear marks quickly. -
Facial sketches matched to photos
Michigan state university develops software that automatically matches hand-drawn facial sketches to mug shots stored in databases.
