Forensic Firearms and Tool Marks Time Line

Tseng Kung-Liang publishes first recipes for three types of gun powder [Ref. 3, p. 75].

First known gun made in China [Ref. 3, p. 83].

Exterior Ballistics: affects to the bullet after leaving the gun barrel. Italian mathematician Niccollo Tartaglia published a work on Gunnery in the mid 16^th century dealing with exterior ballistics [Ref. 16].

Surgeon removes a wad of paper filled with shot from a wounded man. The paper is unfolded and found to be torn from a ballad sheet in a suspect's pocket [Ref. 1, p. 53].

Henry Goddard, a policeman in London, identifies the mold mark (mold used to create ball) on the ball of shot and examined the paper patch used as a seal between powder and ball. The paper was identified to a torn newspaper in the suspect's room [Ref. 17].

Bullet that killed Confederate General Stonewall Jackson was determined to be a 67 caliber ball, used by his own men [Ref. 17, p. 2].

Minnesota State Court allows gunsmith to examine a fatal bullet in conjunction with two revolvers. He determined firing marks on the bullet matched one of the guns [Ref. 17].

Dr. J. H. Girdner devised an electrical bullet detector in human wounds [Ref. 18, p. 5].

Prof. Alexandre Lacassagne published “La Deformation des Balles de Revolver” (Deformation of Revolver Bullets) Archive de Antropologie Criminelle et des Sciences Penales, Vol. 5, p. 70-79, Lyon 1889, recognizing markings but had no system to categorize them [Ref. 16].

Paul Jesrich, forensic chemist, first to conduct microscopic examination and comparison of striations from two bullets fired from the same weapon [Ref. 19, p. 138].

Dr. Albert Llewellyn Hall publishes “The Missile and the Weapon”, Buffalo Medical Journal, details the refiling lands and grooves and their markings on bullets and measures the width of such markings. Also lists bullet diameters, styles, combustion residues, etc. [Ref. 16].

Prof. V. Balthazard uses series of enlarged photographs to identify cartridge casing from different firearms [Ref. 17, p. 4].

Luke S. May introduced photomicroscopic evidence in study to identify scratches and marks on knives and tools [Ref. 1, p. 12].

Stielow Case: Tenant farmer Stielow is charged and convicted on two counts of murder based on bogus firearms testimony by expert Albert Hamilton. Waite was an investigator who brought attention to the case and other experts in firearms and microscopy provided the critical repudiating testimony. Charles Waite formed the “Bureau of Forensic Ballistics” in New York city and began to collect and tabulate rifling data, laying ground work for firearms examinations and identification forensic sciences [Ref. 16].

The case of Sacco and Vanzetti tested firearms evidence. “The convictions were based on the testimony of a number of firearms experts. The bullets were compared by measurements of lands and grooves. Photographic comparisons were made of cartridge case heads etc. The case then went through many appeals and reviews for the next seven years (1920-1927) before the execution took place. It was in the last stages of review and appeal (1927) that Goddard reexamined the test cases and recovered cartridge cases and verified that one was fired in Sack's pistol. His findings were later verified in 1961 and again later in 1983” [Ref. 16].

Forensic Ballistics coined by Lt. Col. Calvin H. Goddard in his paper “Forensic Ballistics,” Army Ordnance Magazine, Nov-Dec. He named laboratory that he and Waite formed, Bureau of Forensic Ballistics. Experts in the field work in the science as “Firearms Identification,” often referred to as “ballistics” by the public [Ref. 16].

Comparison microscopy first applied to firearms identification by Calvin H. Goddard and Philip O. Gravelle [Ref. 7, p. 128], becoming the standard for fired bullet and cartridge comparison and identification [Ref. 16].

John H. Fisher designed the Helixometer for Bureau of Forensic Ballistics to examine the twist or helix of the rifling in a gun barrel. Found limited application and fell into disuse [Ref. 16].

Calvin H. Goddard examined firearms evidence in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, leading the Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory at Northwestern University [Ref. 17, p. 7].

Washington State Supreme Court rules tools used in crimes, i.e. break and enter, may be identified by a comparison of the questioned tool marks made with sample marks produced with the suspect tool [Ref. 3, p. 324].

Major Sir Gerald Burrard wrote book The Identification of Firearms and Forensic Ballistics [Ref. 17, p. 8].

Striagraph invented by Mathews and Turner, John Davis introduces later version in the '40s [Ref. 7, p. 6].

First meeting of the Association of Firearms and Toolmark Examiners [Ref. 17].

Interior Ballistics: This is what happens when the bullet is in the gun barrel. The British engineer Benjamin Robins in the mid 1970s conducted many experiments in this area and is said to be the father of Modern Gunnery [Ref. 16].

FBI creates The General Rifling Characteristic (GRC) file of 18,000 rifling measurements, the number of lands and grooves, direction of twist, and measurements of land impressions [Ref. 17, p. 9].

The FBI's DRUGFIRE electronic database of digital images of fired bullets and cartridge casings for comparison with unidentified firearms [Ref. 17, p. 10].

International Wound Ballistics Association (IWBA) established in California [Ref. 17, p. 10].

Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS), system with digital images of bullets and cartridges [Ref. 17, p. 11].