Forensic Science Timeline

By Roe15
  • 300 BCE

    First recorded Autopsies

    Carried out by doctors in Alexandria
  • Apr 11, 1248

    First Forensic Science Book

    First Forensic Science Book
    Published by the Chinese
  • Jan 16, 1302

    First legal Autopsy

    To attempt to find the cause of death, a magistrate in Bolonga ordered it

  • Finding Posion

    Finding Posion
    Chemist Valentin Ross developed a method of detecting arsenic in a stomach

  • Chemical Testing used

    Chemical Testing used
    An English chemist named James Marsh used chemical processes to determine a cause of death from arsenic in a trial for murder

  • Fingerprint ID used in criminal investigations

    Fingerprint ID used in criminal investigations
    Juan Vucetich, first officer to use fingerprints in a murder investigation and he created a system of fingerprint identification

  • Blood Marker investigations

    Blood Marker investigations
    Karl Landsteiner found human blood grouping and Dieter Max Richter adapted the use on blood stains

  • Schooling in forensics

    Rodolphe Archibald Reiss founded the first school of forensics science in Switzerland

  • Lie Detection

    Lie Detection
    John Larson invented the prototype polygraph which was developed for use in police stations

  • Voice Recordings

    A sound spectrograph was discovered to be allowed to record voices. Soon in investigations and for court evidence, voiceprints (phone recordings, answering machines, and recorders) were used.