Forensics Timeline

  • Chinese
    700

    Chinese

    The Chinese used fingerprints to establish the identity of documents
  • Valentin Ross

    Valentin Ross

    This German chemist discovered a more precise method for detecting arsenic.
  • Mathieu Joseph Bonaventure Orfila

    Mathieu Joseph Bonaventure Orfila

    Mathieu Joseph Bonaventure Orfila was later named the "Father of Toxicology". He studied forensic medicine in France.
  • Henry Goddard

    Henry Goddard

    Henry Goddard was the first to use a physical analysis of a bullet to link it to a crime. (England)
  • Alphonse Bertillon

    Alphonse Bertillon

    Bertillon was a French anthropologist who created the Bertillon system. This is a system that uses body measurements to catch the perpetrator.
  • Henry Faulds

    Henry Faulds

    Faulds made innovations in the world of fingerprinting. He proposed his fingerprinting system to Scotland Yard but was rejected.
  • Juan Vucetich

    Juan Vucetich

    This Croatian-born Argentine anthropologist was one of the first to improve and advance the use of fingerprinting.
  • Hans Gross

    Hans Gross

    Gross was considered the "Founding Father of criminal profiling". He wrote 'Criminal Investigation'. He was born and died in Austria.
  • Theodore Roosevelt

    Theodore Roosevelt

    President Roosevelt established the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (US)
  • Leone Lattes

    Leone Lattes

    This Italian scientist developed a way to classify dried blood into A, B, AB, or O.
  • Dr. Edmond Locard

    Dr. Edmond Locard

    "Sherlock Holmes of France"
    Locard's Exchange Principle says, “it is impossible for a criminal to act, especially considering the intensity of a crime, without leaving traces of this presence”.
  • August Vollmer

    August Vollmer

    Vollmer was the first police chief in the US to emphasize the importance of using fingerprints and other scientific evidence in investigations.
  • Frye Standard

    Frye Standard

    A general test to assess if scientific evidence should be admitted or not. (US)
  • Los Angeles

    Los Angeles

    The first crime lab in the US was the LAPD crime lab.
  • FBI

    FBI

    The FBI Laboratory, located in Quantico VA, provides its services not only to the FBI but state and local agencies as well.
  • Forensic Anthropology

    Forensic Anthropology

    This is the study of the human remains in order to solve investigations. This branch of anthropology was established when detectives continued to ask anthropologists to aid in their cases. (US)
  • Doyle v. State of Texas

    Doyle v. State of Texas

    This case was the first to admit bite marks as forensic evidence in court. (US)
  • Sir Alec Jeffreys

    Sir Alec Jeffreys

    Sir Alec Jeffreys discovered genetic fingerprinting in the United Kingdom.
  • Innocence Project

    Innocence Project

    This US non-profit organization has helped many innocent people get out of jail with DNA testing.
  • Daubert Ruling

    Daubert Ruling

    The ruling in the Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc. trial led to the passage of the Daubert Standard. This standard allows the judge to assess whether or not the expert testimony is valid. (US)