Forensic Science Timeline by Cathrine Bishop

700s BCE

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:45:58 UTC

The Chinese used fingerprints to establish identity on documents and that's important to the development of forensic science because it indicates that fingerprints can be used to identify a person

1813

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:46:03 UTC

Mathiew Orfila published Traite des Poisons Tires des Regnes Mineral, Vegetal et Animal, ou Toxicologie General l and is known as the father of modern day toxicology. This is important cause it shows early day study of toxicology.

1828

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:46:15 UTC

William Nichol invented the polarizing light microscope and that's important because this aids in the observation of fibers and other microscopic items.

1853

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:46:22 UTC

Ludwig Teichmann, in Kracow, Poland, developed the first microscopic crystal test for hemoglobin using hemin crystals. This is important because it helps confirm the presence of blood on stains.

1863

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:46:27 UTC

The German scientist Schönbein first discovered the ability of hemoglobin to oxidize hydrogen peroxide making it foam. This resulted in first presumptive test for blood. This is important because it can indicate the presence of blood on items like fabrics.

1864

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:46:32 UTC

Odelbrecht first advocated the use of photography for the identification of criminals and the documentation of evidence and crime scenes. This is really important because it changed the whole investigative process as they were able to capture crimes scenes as they were found thus eliminating the risk of contamination or lost evidence.

1880

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:46:36 UTC

Henry Faulds, a Scottish physician working in Tokyo, published a paper in the journal Nature suggesting that fingerprints at the scene of a crime could identify the offender. In one of the first recorded uses of fingerprints to solve a crime, Faulds used fingerprints to eliminate an innocent suspect and indicate a perpetrator in a Tokyo burglary. This is important because it's one of the first recorded uses of fingerprints in solving a crime

1889

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:46:57 UTC

Alexandre Lacassagne, professor of forensic medicine at the University of Lyons, France, was the first to try to individualize bullets to a gun barrel. His comparisons at the time were based simply on the number of lands and grooves. This is important because it shows that weapons can identify a person like fingerprints could.

1892

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:47:01 UTC

Juan Vucetich, an Argentinean police researcher, developed the fingerprint classification system that would come to be used in Latin America. After Vucetich implicated a mother in the murder of her own children using her bloody fingerprints, Argentina was the first country to replace anthropometry with fingerprints. This is important cause it provided more structure when using fingerprints in a crime.

1905

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:47:05 UTC

American President Theodore Roosevelt established Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This is important because it provided an organization whose purpose was to use forensics to solve crimes.

1915

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:47:11 UTC

Leone Lattes, professor at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Turin Italy, developed the first antibody test for ABO blood groups. He first used the test in casework to resolve a marital dispute. He published L’Individualità del sangue nella biologia, nella clinica, nella medicina, legale, the first book dealing not only with clinical issues, but heritability, paternity, and typing of dried stains. This is important because this is written history of the possibility of narrowing down identity using blood type.

1918

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:47:14 UTC

Edmond Locard first suggested 12 matching points as a positive fingerprint identification. This is important because this provided structure to how scientists can use fingerprints to accurately identify a person.

1920s

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:47:17 UTC

Georg Popp pioneered the use of botanical identification in forensic work. This is important because botany is used in forensics to determine location and other things that can be used as evidence.

1920s

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:47:22 UTC

Luke May, one of the first American criminalists, pioneered striation analysis in tool mark comparison, including an attempt at statistical validation. In 1930 he published The identification of knives, tools and instruments, a positive science, in The American Journal of Police Science. This is important because this showcases that melee weapons can have a "fingerprint" and can still be identified.

1925

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:47:35 UTC

Saburo Sirai, a Japanese scientist, is credited with the first recognition of secretion of group-specific antigens into body fluids other than blood. This is important because it can be used to indicate fluifd other than blood at a scene and lead to more evidence.

1950

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:47:49 UTC

Max Frei-Sulzer, founder of the first Swiss criminalistics laboratory, developed the tape lift method of collecting trace evidence. This is important cause this makes it easier to collect trace evidence.

1977

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:47:52 UTC

The FBI introduced the beginnings of its Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) with the first computerized scans of fingerprints. This is important because it speeds up the process of identifying the person of the fingerprints found.

1987

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:47:57 UTC

New York v. Castro was the first case in which the admissibility of DNA was seriously challenged. It set in motion a string of events that culminated in a call for certification, accreditation, standardization, and quality control guidelines for both DNA laboratories and the general forensic community. This is important because it set standards and rules for labs therefore making it difficult to mess up or have errors in their findings

2007

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:59:50 UTC

A now closed Forensic Science Service in the UK called ‘Footwear Intelligence Technology’ (FIT) contained thousands of footwear prints and impressions. It could be used to quickly identify the footwear that caused the mark and that's important in cases where a vital piece of evidence is a shoe impression.

2018

cbishoplibertas — 2024-09-26 01:59:53 UTC

Forensic genealogy is the use of consumer DNA, like 23 and me, to generate possible identities of suspects and remains. This is important because DNA found at scenes don't really say much unless the scientists examining them have other samples to compare them to. Since they're able to do that now, it's easier for them to find possible identities.