Forensics

History of Forensic Science

  • 1201

    13th Century China

    13th Century China
    The first case ever recorded using forensic science. Someone had been stabbed in the village and in order to find the suspect they collected all of the knives from everyone that lived in the village. Because the flies were attracted to the traces of blood still left on the knife, they were able to figure out who the suspect was.
  • Mathleu Orfila

    Mathleu Orfila
    Considered the Father of Toxicology because he published the first scientific paper on the detection of poisons and their effects on animals.
  • William Herschel

    William Herschel
    Used thumbprints on documents to identify workers in India.
  • Alphonse Bertillion

    Alphonse Bertillion
    Used fingerprints to eliminate an innocent burglary suspect.
  • Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    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.
  • Francis Galton

    Francis Galton
    Published Finger Prints. Conducted the first definitive study of fingerprints and their classification. Gave proof of their uniqueness.
  • Henry Faulds

    Henry Faulds
    Uses fingerprints to eliminate an innocent burglary suspect.
  • Hans Gross

    Hans Gross
    Wrote the first paper describing the application of scientific principles to the field of criminal investigation. Published Criminal Investigation.
  • Karl Landsteiner

    Karl Landsteiner
    Discovered the ABO blood groups, later received Nobel Prize.
  • Edmond Locard

    Edmond Locard
    Incorporated Gross' principles within a workable crime lab; became the founder and director of the Institute of Criminalistics at the University of Lyons, France.
  • Albert S. Osborn

    Albert S. Osborn
    Published Questioned Documents. Developed the fundamental principles of document examination.
  • Leone Lattes

    Leone Lattes
    Developed a method for determining blood type from dried blood.
  • August Vollmer

    August Vollmer
    Established the First Crime Lab in United States, located in Los Angeles.
  • Calvin Goddard

    Calvin Goddard
    Developed a comparison microscope; first used to compare bullets to see if fired from the same weapon.