Forensic Science Timeline

By Clayton318
  • Jan 12, 600

    Fingerprints Used

    Fingerprints are first used to identify identity of people
  • Polarizing Light Microscope

    Polarizing Light Microscope

    William Nichol created the polarizing light microscope.

  • Chemical testing ustilized for Case

    James Marsh, an English chemist, uses chemical processes to determine arsenic as the cause of death in a murder trial.

  • Photos are Evidence

    Pictures are used in a trial in San Francisco as evidence.

  • Fingerprint ID used in Crime

    Juan Vucetich, an Argentinean police officer, is the first to use fingerprints as evidence in a murder investigation. He created a system of fingerprint identification.

  • FBI Created

    American President Theodore Roosevelt established Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

  • Crime Labs

    First crime lab built in Los Angeles.

  • Lie Detector Test

    Prototype polygraph, which was invented by John Larson in 1921, developed for use in police stations.
  • Creation of Breathalyzer

    Creation of Breathalyzer

    R. F. Borkenstein, captain of the Indiana State Police, invented the Breathalyzer for field sobriety testing.

  • Adaptation of FTIR

    The fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) is adapted for use in the forensic laboratory.