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First Autopsy.
Autopsy was performed on Julius Ceasar so he could he could be assessed for his wounds that led to his death. A fatal stab wound to the heart is what caused his death. -
600
First use of fingerprints.
The first use of fingerprints were used to determine identity. Arabic merchants took a debtor's fingerprint and attached it to a bill. -
1248
First forensic science book by Chinese
The first forensic science book was written by the Chinese. It was published to help determine the causes of suspicious deaths. -
First pathology reports published.
The first pathology reports were published in the 1600's. -
First time physical evidence was used in chemical case by John Toms.
The first time physical evidence was used was by John Toms. The evidence was a torn edge of newspaper in a pistol that matched a newspaper that was found in his pocket. -
Chemical testing utilized.
Chemical testing was first utilized in 1836. James Marsh, used chemical processes to determine arsenic as a cause of death in a murder trial. -
First uses of Photos in Identification in San Francisco.
The first use of photos in identification was in 1854. San Francisco used photography for criminal identification. -
Fingerprints found to be unique.
Fingerprints were found to be unique in 1880. Henry Faulds, William James Herschel published a paper and Francis Galton adapted the findings for a court. -
Sherlock Holmes and the Coroner.
This event happened in 1887. The Coroner's Act established that coroners' were to determine the cause of sudden, violent, and unnatural deaths. -
Criminal Features reduced to numerical measurements.
This event happened in 1888. Anthropometry is a system that used various measurements of physical features and bones, it was used in Europe and the U.S. -
Fingerprint ID used in crime.
Fingerprint ID was first used in crime in 1892. Juan Vucatich was the first to use fingerprints as evidence in a murder he was trying to solve. -
Investigations into blood markers.
The investigation into blood markers was in 1901. Human blood grouping was found by Karl Landsteiner. -
Learning about Forensics
The first school of forensic science was founded by Radolphe Archibald Reiss in Switzerland. This event happened in 1909. -
Hair now used in Forensics.
Victor Balthazard and Marcel Lambert published the first study of hair. This event occured in 1910. -
Guns are Unique.
Victor Balthazard used tools to make gun barrels never the same. He developed multiple different methods of matching bullets to guns via photography. -
Crime Labs Built.
The first police crime lab was established in Los Angeles. This event happened in 1923. -
Lie Detection
The prototype polygraph was invented by John Larson. This was developed for use in police stations. -
Crime experts build lab.
The FBI established its own crime laboratory and a chair of legal medicine at Harvard was established. The event occurred in 1932. -
Voice recording, used as evidence.
A sound spectograph was discovered to be able to record voices. Voice recordings were implented into being pieces of key evidence in investigations. -
First National crime system.
The FBI established the National crime information center. This was a computerized national filing system. -
Advances in residue detection.
Technology was developed at Aerospace Corporation in the U.S. to be detect gunshot residue. This can be used to link a suspect to a crime scene. -
Auto Fingerprints system first implemented.
The first auto fingerprints system was first implemented by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This event occurred in 1979. -
DNA Technique for Unique ID
DNA fingerprinting techniques were developed by Sir Alec Jeffreys. This event occurred in 1984. -
DNA catches the criminal.
Tommy Lee Andrews was convicted of a series of sexual assaults using DNA profiling. This event occurred in 1987. -
The Innocence Project
The Innocence Network, NACDL, pro bono partner Winston and Strawn, LLP announced a partnership with the federal bureau of Investigation. This event occurred in 1992. -
DNA evidence certified.
The National Academy of Sciences announced DNA evidence as reliable. This event occurred in 1996. -
Faster Fingerprint ID's.
The FBI established the integrated automated fingerprint identification system which took two weeks to two hours. This event occurred in 1999. -
Faster DNA ID's
Technology helped to speed up DNA profiling time which was cut from taking 6 to 8 weeks to 1-2 days. This event occurred in 2001. -
Footwear Detection System
Britain's forensic science service developed online footwear coding and detection systems. This system was beneficial in helping police identify footwear marks fast. -
Detection after cleaning.
This was a way for scientists to visualize fingerprints even after the print has been removed is developed, relating to how fingerprints can corrode metal surfaces. This event occurred in 2008. -
Facial sketches matched to photos.
Michigan State University developed software that automatically matched hand drawn facial sketches to mugshots. This event occurred in 2011. -
Four second dental match
Japanese researchers developed a dental x-ray matching system. The system can automatically match a dental x-ray in a database and make a positive match in less than four seconds. -
U.S. Department Of Justice Announces launch.
The U.S. Department announced the launch of the National Commission on Forensic Science. This event occurred in 2013. -
FBI reports analysts linked defendants to crimes.
The FBI linked defendants to crimes through microscopic hair analysis. 27 of 29 gave faulty testimony. -
NIST establishes a 5-year, $20 million initiative.
The NIST established a $20 million initiative for a forensic science center of excellence. This was led by Iowa State University. -
The President's council releases report.
The report, Forensic Science in Criminal courts was released by the presidents council. This event occurred in 2016. -
Scientists find DNA of Human ancestors in Cave Floor Dirt.
DNA of human ancestors was found in cave floor dirt. This is a different method that is used to analyze and recover ancient DNA. -
DNA Breakthrough leads to ID of 1981 Murder Victim.
A body was discovered and was identified through revolutionary DNA techniques. This event occurred in 2018. -
Familial DNA puts Elusive Killers Behind Bars.
Only 12 states use familial DNA in criminal cases. This practice is uncommon and occurred in 2018.
