Lessons from the "Trial of the Century" and Early Forensic Science Efforts: Beginnings of U.S. Forensic Science and the Little-Known Role of the National Bureau of Standards

Published

November 17, 2025

Author(s)

John Butler

Abstract

This article is based on a plenary presentation given at the May 2025 European Academy of Forensic Science (EAFS) meeting with a theme "Reflections on Forensic Science: Looking Back to Look Forward" and was an invited submission to a special issue highlighting information shared at EAFS 2025. Early pioneers in Europe and the United States involved in forensic science (also known then as criminalistics or police science), are briefly discussed along with a 1929 European tour by Calvin Goddard that would link efforts and raise awareness of activities on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Significant progress in forensic science often accelerates as a high-profile crime propels the field forward. The so-called "Crime of the Century", which involved kidnapping the 20-month-old son of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh from his second story nursery on the evening of March 1, 1932, set in motion a large investigation that would lead to "The Trial of the Century" almost three years later. Forensic science evidence in the form of handwriting comparisons with 15 ransom notes and analysis of a ladder left at the crime scene would play key roles in the conviction of Bruno Richard Hauptmann. Widespread media attention and publicly available records, some of which have only recently come to light, provide opportunities to consider this investigation and trial in an effort to understand the development and foundations of early forensic science in the United States. Lessons from study of early forensic science efforts can benefit work today in this field. In particular, the little-known roles of the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) and a physicist named Wilmer Souder in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping case are discussed. Today, almost a century later, NBS, now known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), continues to make important advances in forensic science research, standards, and scientific foundation studies.

Citation

Forensic Science International

Volume

378

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112732

Local Download

Keywords

Calvin Goddard, forensic science, history, Lindbergh baby kidnapping investigation, Hauptmann trial, National Bureau of Standards, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Wilmer Souder

Citation

Butler, J. (2025), Lessons from the "Trial of the Century" and Early Forensic Science Efforts: Beginnings of U.S. Forensic Science and the Little-Known Role of the National Bureau of Standards, Forensic Science International, [online], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112732, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=960722 (Accessed December 11, 2025)