Forensic Timeline

  • 250 BCE

    Ancient Greece

    Archimedes used his principle to measure volume to expose a forged gold crown for the king of Syracuse, likely around 250 BC.
  • 1248

    Ancient China

    Fingerprints were used in the 7th century for identifying a street merchant, with a judge accepting the evidence. In 1248, Song Ci's book, Washing Away of Wrongs, described regulations for autopsy reports and used forensic methods like using flies to identify a murderer, marking one of the earliest guides for forensic medicine.
  • Microscope

    A combines pieces of glass to look at things in the molecular level.
  • Period: to

    Sir Francis Galton

    Sir Francis Galton proved that everyone's fingerprints are different and created the system of identifying fingerprints.
  • Arsenic Test

    A blood or pee test mostly used to check in case of Arsenic poisoning.
  • Period: to

    Edmond Locard

    Edmond Locard had created the first police crime lab. Often known as the Sherlok Holmes of France.
  • Fingerprint Analysis Equipment

    A test for fingerprints using brushes, powder, tape, or some way of gathering fingerprints.
  • Polygraph

    A tool used to measure heartbeat and is a form of a lie detector test.
  • Period: to

    Sir Alec Jeffreys

    Still alive Sir Alec Jeffreys invented DNA profiling with major accuracy.
  • Breathalyzer

    A testing box where a certain individual blows into it and the breath from the individual is studied for alcohol and other things.
  • Voice Recording Analysis

    Analysing someones voice to extract important information from its spoken language and certain voice stimulations.
  • DNA Profiling

    The process of looking at different parts of DNA to create a certain fingerprint for an individual.
  • Integrated Ballistics Identification

    A automated imaging system for looking at marks on fired bullets and casings.