-
1201
13th Century China
The first case ever recorded using forensic science. Someone was stabbed, so the town collected knives from each house hold and a fly landed on one that had traces of human blood reminiscent on it, which cause a testimony. -
Mathieu Orfila
"Father of Forensic Toxicology" He published the first paper on poisons and their effects on animals. -
William Herschel
Used thumbprints on documents to identify workers in India. -
Alphonse Bertillon
"Father of Criminal Identification" Developed Anthropometry which uses body measurement to distinguish individuals. -
Henry Faulds
Uses fingerprints to eliminate and innocent burglar 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. -
Francis Galton
Published Finger Prints. Conducted the first definitive study of fingerprints and their classification. Gave proof 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 revived Nobel Prize. -
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
Published Questioned Documents. Developed the fundamental principles of document examination. -
Leone Lattes
Developed a method for determining blood type from dried blood -
August Vollmler
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.
