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1250
13th Century China
The first case ever recorded using forensic science. Someone was stabbed and all the knives in the village were collected. Flies landed on the knife that was used to kill the person. The suspect then confessed. -
Mathieu Orfila
Orfila was the Father of Forensic Toxicology because he worked to make chemical analysis a routine part of forensic medicine, and made studies of the decomposition of bodies, and exhumation. -
William Herschel
He used thumbprints to identify workers in India. -
Alphonse Bertillon
Father of Criminal Identification. Developed Anthropometry which uses body measurements to distinguish individuals. -
Henry Faulds
Uses fingerprints to eliminate an innocent burglary 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 of 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 received 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 Vollmer
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 person.
