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A preserved mummy discovered in the Alps in 1991, Ötzi carries the oldest known tattoos. He is thought to have lived between 3370 and 3100 BC. -
The first recorded use of tattoos with sending secret messages was in Greek: Histiaeus shaved the head of his most trusted slave, tattooed a message on his head, and then waited for his hair to grow back. -
Starting in the Kofun period , tattoo marks began to be placed on criminals as a punishment in Japan. -
Turkey bones used for tattooing were discovered in Fernvale, Tennessee. -
French missionary Joseph François Lafitau recorded how Indigenous people used tattoos and developed healing strategies in tattooing the jawline to treat toothaches. -
James Cook led an expedition that introduced european explorers to Tahiti culture, in which the tahitian word "tatau" became the english word Tattoo. -
Japan banned tattoos at the beginning of the Meiji period, for the country not to be perceived as barbaric and primitive by the rest of the world. -
Thomas Edison patents the autographic printing pen. -
Samuel O’Reilly patents the first electric tattoo machine, based on Thomas Edison’s autographic printing pen. -
During the Holocaust, the SS began systematically tattooing all incoming Jewish prisoner -
Japan was legalized in 1948, but still retained its criminal stigma. -
During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the federal Indian boarding school system tattooed students with identification numbers. -
The first International Tattoo Artists Association Convention was held in Reno, Nevada, USA. -
Swan, the owner of Broken Art Tattoo, set the world record for most tattoos inked in a 24-hour period with a total of 875 tattoos. -
Whang-od, the last traditional Kalinga tattooist, was formally nominated to the National Living.