Forensic Science Timeline

First recorded Autopsies

300 BCE

Carried out by doctors in Alexandria

First Forensic Science Book

Apr 11, 1248

Published by the Chinese

First legal Autopsy

Jan 16, 1302

To attempt to find the cause of death, a magistrate in Bolonga ordered it

Finding Posion

Apr 11, 1806

Chemist Valentin Ross developed a method of detecting arsenic in a stomach

Chemical Testing used

Apr 12, 1836

An English chemist named James Marsh used chemical processes to determine a cause of death from arsenic in a trial for murder

Fingerprint ID used in criminal investigations

Apr 12, 1892

Juan Vucetich, first officer to use fingerprints in a murder investigation and he created a system of fingerprint identification

Blood Marker investigations

Apr 12, 1901

Karl Landsteiner found human blood grouping and Dieter Max Richter adapted the use on blood stains

Schooling in forensics

Apr 12, 1909

Rodolphe Archibald Reiss founded the first school of forensics science in Switzerland

Lie Detection

Apr 12, 1930

John Larson invented the prototype polygraph which was developed for use in police stations

Voice Recordings

Apr 12, 1960

A sound spectrograph was discovered to be allowed to record voices. Soon in investigations and for court evidence, voiceprints (phone recordings, answering machines, and recorders) were used.