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The Chinese first used fingerprints in 1000BC as a means to sign legal documents. This is the first known case of any individual being tracked by their fingerprint for any reason and would eventually lead to the common place use of fingerprints across the globe.

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The first autopsy was performed by Erasistratus and Herophilus in Alexandria in the third century BC. This is the first formal analysis ever done of a dead body.

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The first forensic autopsies were done at the university of Bologna in the 1200s and signifies a shift to the forensic science field. This is the first forensic analysis of a dead body.

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The first medical schools were established in Padua and Bologna in the late 1400s, showing a career evolving from earlier informal studies.

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The first forensic medicine courses were held at the University of Leipzig in 1642, a sign that forensic medicine is being more widely accepted as the uses have been proven now.

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The first autopsies done in North America were done by French settlers on St. Croix island in 1604. This shows the spread of knowledge throughout the global world.

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First use of dental records to identify the deceased

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First use of dental records to identify the deceased

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Paul Revere identified his deceased friend Dr. Joseph Warren in 1775 by the pair of dentures he had made for him. This is the first ever case of dental records being used to identify a dead body, something commonplace now.

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First forensic ballistics used in the field

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First forensic ballistics used in the field

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John Toms was convicted of murder in 1784 based on the match of paper wadding removed from the victim's wound matched to paper found on Toms. This is the first time that forensic ballistic evidence was used to incriminate someone formally.

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Andrew Duncan Jr. began lecturing in 1801 on legal medicine at Edinburgh University. The forensic field is being even more widely accepted and embraced as an asset to the forensic science space.

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The idea of fingerprints to identify individuals is progressing even further. Thomas Bewick used engravings of his own fingerprints in the 1800s to identify his own sold books.

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In 1828, William Nichol invented the polarizing light microscope, showing the increase in knowledge that the microscopic holds many keys in forensic science.

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Saliva normally isn't too interesting but in 1831, Leuchs notices the amylase activity in human saliva, a discovery that would eventually lead to the use of DNA widely to identify persons.

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Paul Jesrich took photomicrographs of two bullets to compare and match them in Berlin, Germany in 1898. This marked what would be the first ballistic match in the bullet forensic science field.

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Henry P. DeForrest implemented the first systematic use of fingerprints in the US. This meant that the use of fingerprints to identify persons was now widely accepted and beginning to be put into use in an effective manner.

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Charles E. Write began cataloging manufacturing data of weapons in 1920. This is the first time someone collected firearms data in one place to record and review. This would eventually lead to the widespread use of serial numbers and registration of firearms.

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In 1924, August Vollmer implemented the first police crime laboratory. This shows that forensic science is progressing in its use across the US.

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Philip Gravelle and Calvin Goddard developed the comparison microscope in 1925. The microscope and the subsequent data it's collected are one of the most significant developments of modern science and this was one of the biggest improvements ever made.

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The National DNA Index System (NDIS) became operational in 1998. This marks a new age in forensic medicine, now being able to track individuals using trace evidence and test any time.

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The past discoveries have made the systems currently in place for fingerprinting possible. This makes many of the modern facets of society function smoothly on a daily basis, something that is often overlooked.

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Everything that uses medical knowledge or training has been in development for thousands of years. These practices and techniques have had generations to improve and be refined.