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1279
13th Century China
The first case ever recorded using forensic science, happened in 13th century China. Someone was stabbed, and all the knives were collected. Files were attracted to the traces of blood and went to only one of the knives, which led the suspect to confess. -
Mathieu Orfila
Mathieu Orfila is considered the "father of toxicology" because was a chemist who published 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 Bertillon
"Father of criminal Identification." Bertillon developed Anthropometry which uses body measurements to identify individuals. -
Henry Faulds
Fauld uses fingerprints to eliminate an innocent burglary suspect. -
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Doyle published his first "Sherlock Holmes" story; Considered the first "CSI." -
Francis Galton
Galton published fingerprints and conducted the first definitive study of fingerprints and their classification and gave proof of their uniqueness. -
Hans Gross
Gross wrote the first paper describing the application of scientific principles to the field of criminal investigation. He also published Criminal Investigation. -
Karl Landsteiner
Landsteiner discovered the ABO blood groups and later received the Nobel Prize. -
Edmond Locard
Locard incorporated Gross' principles within a workable crime lab. He also became the founder and director of the institute of Criminalistics at the University of Lyons, France. -
Albert S. Osborn
Osborn published Question Documents. He also developed the fundamental principles of document examination. -
Leone Lattes
Lattes developed a method for determining blood types from dry blood. -
August Vollmer
Vollmer established the first crime lab in the United States, located in Los Angeles. -
Calvin Goddard
Goddard developed a comparison microscope and first used it to compare bullets to see if they were fired from the same weapon.
