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1000
First Use of Fingerprints
All throughout history, fingerprints were used on official documents. They were used like a signature in places like ancient Babylon, China, Nova Scotia, and Persia. -
Invention of the Microscope
In 1590, the first microscope was invented in Middelburg in Netherland. -
Bullet Comparison
Henry Goddard of Scotland Yard first uses bullet comparison to catch a murderer. The comparison was based in a visible flaw in the bullet, traced back to a mold. -
Using Body Temperature to Determine Time of Death
Taylor and Wilkes write a paper on the determination of time since death from fall in body temperature, introducing many current concepts. -
Photographing Evidence
First advocation of the use of photography for the identification of criminals and the documentation of evidence and crime scenes. -
Creation of the FBI
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First Arrest in U.S. using Fingerprints
The first murder case in the United States in which fingerprint evidence was used successfully was in Illinois in 1910, when Thomas Jennings was accused of murdering Clarence Hiller after his fingerprints were found at Hiller's house. -
Polygraph Test
The polygraph was invented in 1921 by John Augustus Larson, a medical student at the University of California, Berkeley and a police officer of the Berkeley Police Department in Berkeley, California. -
Dental Records
Dental records are compared with teeth from corpses. -
Breathalyzer Test
R. F. Borkenstein invents the Breathalyzer for field sobriety testing. -
Finger Print Scanning System
The FBI introduces the beginnings of its Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) with first computerized scans of fingerprints. -
Starting DNA Recognition
American geneticists discover a region of DNA that does not hold any genetic information and is extremely variable between individuals. Starting our path on DNA recognition. -
Using DNA to Solve a Murder
American geneticists discover a region of DNA that does not hold any genetic information and is extremely variable between individuals. Starting our path on DNA recognition. -
Footware Detection Intelligence
The Forensic Science Service launches the UK’s first online footwear coding and detection management system, Footwear Intelligence Technology. -
Facial Sketches Matched to Photos
Michigan state university develops software that automatically matches hand-drawn facial sketches to mug shots stored in databases. -
4 Second Dental Match
Japanese researchers develop a dental x-ray matching system. This system can automatically match dental x-rays in a database, and makes a positive match in less than 4 seconds.
