Forensic Science Timeline

By MD40005528
  • 1235 BCE

    Origins of Forensic Science

    Origins of Forensic Science
    The concept of forensic science was said to have originated in 13th century China. The Chinese used finger prints to identify documents and clay sculptures.

  • Mathieu Orfila

    Mathieu Orfila
    Mathieu Orfila is considered the father of forensic toxicology. He worked to make the analysis of chemicals a part of forensic medicine.

  • William Herschel

    William Herschel
    Sir William James Herschel was a British officer who used fingerprints for identification in India.

  • Alphonse Bertillon

    Alphonse Bertillon
    Alphonse Bertillon was a French police officer and biometrics researcher who is considered the Father of criminal identification. He created an identification system that uses body measurements.

  • Henry Faulds

    Henry Faulds
    Henry Faulds was a Scottish doctor, missionary, and scientist who used fingerprints to eliminate an innocent burglary suspect.

  • Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was an author and medical doctor who created the character Sherlock Holmes.

  • Francis Galton

    Francis Galton
    Francis Galton was an English psychologist who's psychological studies embraced mental differences.

  • Hans Gross

    Hans Gross
    Hans Gross was an Austrian criminal jurist and criminologist who is considered the father of criminal profiling. He wrote the first paper describing the application of scientific principles to the field of criminal investigation. Published Criminal Investigation.

  • Karl Landsteiner

    Karl Landsteiner
    Karl Landsteiner was an Austrian biologist, physician, and immunologist who is responsible for distinguishing the main blood groups.

  • Edmond Locard

    Edmond Locard
    Edmond Locard was a French criminologist who incorporated Gross’ principles within a workable crime lab and became the founder and director of the Institute of Criminalistics at the University of Lyons, France.

  • Albert S. Osborn

    Albert S. Osborn
    Albert S. Osborn is considered the father of science of questioned document examination and published Questioned Documents.

  • Leone Lattes

    Leone Lattes
    Leone Lattes was an Italian scientist who developed a method for determining blood type from dried blood.

  • August Vollmer

    August Vollmer
    August Vollmer was the first police chief of Berkeley, California who established the First Crime Lab in United States, located in Los Angeles.

  • Calvin Goddard

    Calvin Goddard
    Calvin Hooker Goddard was a forensic scientist, army officer, academic, researcher who developed a comparison microscope and the first used to compare bullets to see if fired from the same weapon.