Fascinating Attempts at Victorian Forensic Investigations

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

One may love or hate the Victorian era but that paved way for many advancements that professionals based their works on.

[@donHooligan]

accumulating knowledge is a linear progression.

[@unclej3542]

I like victorian era jugs

[@TaylorAmelia]

It has had good and bad outcomes for humanity/life on earth

[@lordgremlin580]

Like labeling and categorizing store products because Victorians would drop dead after eating cake baked with rat poison mistaken for a cake ingredient 🍰💀

[@donHooligan]

@@lordgremlin580 made life less exciting.

[@amyfisher6380]

For those of you who want more on this subject, albeit in a fictional sense, I recommend the nifty British crime series “Ripper Street”, which is set in Whitechapel in 1888. The fictional police portrayed in the series are shown utilizing some of the forensic techniques covered in the video.

[@theresaiwright7085]

It's on Netflix right now. I haven't watched it yet but it looks really good.

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

Oh god that show is slow and boring.

[@maddieb.4282]

@@SonOfTheDawn515just like yourself?

[@censusgary]

Some people realized as early as 1788 that fingerprints could be used to identify individual people, yet they were hardly ever used in criminal investigations until almost the end of the 19th century. This is an example of “cultural lag”- the gap in time between a discovery or invention and its being widely adopted in society.

[@psw4763]

Discoveries made without computers . Some older cases are interesting in how they were solved by good old fashioned police work. Good video.

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

How many innocent men were condemned because of such "good old fashioned police work" and how many guilty walked?

[@honinakecheta601]

@@SonOfTheDawn515 good point, thank goodness we have the means for empirical evidence to prove a person innocent or not. I can only imagine how many people were wrongly convicted and how many were free… it happens now even despite our technology

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

@@honinakecheta601 It is better to let a guilty man free than to condemn an innocent man.

[@jamisoncrawford9868]

It's the Victorian equivalent of an internet search history.

[@honinakecheta601]

@@SonOfTheDawn515 I just saw your message. And I don’t agree with that.

[@stitcher64]

Watch Murdoch Mysteries! It's a crime show set in the Victorian-Edwardian era in Toronto Canada. Not sure how accurate their investigations are but still very interesting!

[@melissatregloan1949]

I've been bingeing this show & I love it. Its hilarious how the link it to current forensics.

[@wht-rabt-obj]

I LOVE Murdoch!!

[@ddrew1973]

@@wht-rabt-obj We all know Henry Crabtree is the real hero of the show...😆

[@victoriabarclay3556]

They take a lot of artistic license but all for rollicking entertainment.

[@Terri_MacKay]

I love Murdoch!!! I live in Hamilton, Ontario, where a lot of the show is filmed!!

[@marygoround1292]

I've always found the field of forensics fascinating, case in point, I watch Forensic Files. However, I had no idea that some of the most common methods used in forensics originated in the Victorian Era. In conclusion, Weird History is awesome.

[@HistoryOfRevolutions]

Voltaire once wrote: "Men use thought only as authority for their injustice, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts"

[@willadafanderson6714]

Right? I wish he would cover the story of just what crazy racist purpose fingerprinting was used for before criminal investigation.......

[@ricshmitz83]

@@willadafanderson6714 I concur, sir.

[@FeatheredAndLethal]

Would love to see you cover the relationship between Harry Houdini and Arthur Conan Doyle

[@kipp5862]

It wasn't until Jack, when a true focus was placed on serial killers. His bodies were found, it's the killers who don't leave corpses lying around like Hansel and Gretals bread crumbs, that existed long before Jack. Many of the Wild West Gun Slingers could be considered serial killers.

[@StrangeScaryNewEngland]

I was thinking the same thing. While victorian england was in full swing the wild west was full of gunslingers and murderers. Even the police were mass murderers, since it was easier to deal with a criminal that way than to have a trial in a land that was still technically lawless

[@rich9684]

Like who? Many gun slingers from the wild west killed in mutual combat or as a way to achieve their goal(robbery, cattle rustling, escaping the law) where the goal for a serial killer is killing. Plus serial killers are usually beta-males, that pick targets that are weaker than them.

[@Jwilliams813]

Now THIS is what we wanna see. Please do another bridge video too!

[@marieelisa1]

Can you immagin if retinas worked that way? Insane! 😂😂

[@yodacat9589]

Could you imagine if you could scan the eyes of a deceased loved one to see the last thing they saw. Would be nice.

[@JohnDoe-vf2yo]

@@yodacat9589 Not if they died horribly, as in my case. I would see headlights and then nothing but black.

[@yodacat9589]

@@JohnDoe-vf2yo it would be awful if they died in a traumatic way but if they died peacefully surrounded by loved ones it would be comforting.

[@MihaelaMuntean]

@@yodacat9589 there's a movie about this!

[@annvictor9627]

In his Discworld murder mystery, FEET OF CLAY, Terry Pratchett made use of that old belief -- and it did provide a clue.

[@donHooligan]

Do a video on "Dead Man's Island" UK. the unmarked graves that signify the birth of the Prison Industrial Complex.

[@nicksosicc]

Prison ships and the american for-profit PIC being connected is a stretch at best

[@donHooligan]

@@nicksosicc rich business owners wanted all thieves punished and removed from society. now, it is the only way to *legally* get free slave labor in the USA.

[@Bekkie83]

Looooove these videos. They are a great source of informations and make me sooo curious that i always end up searching for more info.

[@pandekuri]

“Jack the ripper was a man subject to periodical attacks of homicidal and erotic mania…” aren’t there monarchs in history like that before him?

[@okolopierre7504]

A

[@judethaddeus9856]

What does that have to do with anything????

[@wrestlingconnoisseur]

Yes, but most of them were not in an ideal situation to have perpetrated the murders, as they were dead, decomposing, and in many cases, buried beneath six feet of earth.

[@aarons.1289]

This was fascinating. I highly recommend "The Poisoner's HandBook: The Birth of Forensic Science in the Jazz Era"... The book gives examples of tests discovered and refined by a doctor and Police official in the early 1900s. The author gives fascinating accounts of grisly murders as well as fatal accidents that occurred during the early 1900s. U.S. Prohibition caused many to turn to wood alcohol for their liquor needs and it caused blindness and often death. There is also a case of a woman murdering her younger brother, but she was acquitted due to lack of test accuracy related to the poison she used. Years later, she repeated her crime against her mother-in-law, but this time the authorities were ready for her and upon exhuming the bodies they proved she laced her victim's food with rat poison. I cannot recall if she was hanged or if she was given the electric chair.

[@joanreeseNYCartist]

Weird History is my favorite channel! Thank you

[@cocomunga]

Fingerprinting must have blown the minds murderers that thought they got away with it.

[@epowell4211]

It's interesting to see how perspectives changed as science discovered more. I'd like to know how the polygraph came to be considered a "lie detector" when it's mostly useless as such.

[@toyamwarr]

Same. I’m sure it had something to do with the sci-fi aspects of a machine being able to decipher human emotions. When I was a kid, the idea of a device being able to tell if a human was lying or not was fascinating because one never knows what someone else is truly thinking and personal bias can always cloud the information one receives. Now that I’m an adult, the whole idea seems crazy given that we have to prove to computers that we’re not a robot.

[@laurieb3703]

Right? More like an anxiety detector. I would fail answering my own name lol

[@epowell4211]

@@laurieb3703 for real! Lol

[@shojodagger4152]

Mostly because of pop culture depictions & oversimplification. The polygraph was never a "lie" detector. It only ever detected changes in the subject's vital signs. At the time the theory was that while lying, most people would have some increase in anxiety, vs when they were being honest. This isn't an unreasonable theory & in fact is partially true. The problem is the "partially" part of that. The theory has many complications & pitfalls. For example the person must know that what they are saying is not true, be intentionally deceptive, & have a negative emotional reaction while being deceptive. A person can say something factually untrue, but if they believe it is true, they aren't actually lying. When stating facts people can make honest mistakes & unintentionally say something untrue, they are not actually lying either. And of course, even if someone is intentionally deceptive, they may not have an emotional change while telling the lie. They may practiced liars, or even psychopaths, the "lie detector" does not work well on such people. These complications have always existed, but in mass adoption & pop culture these complications were simply "swept under the rug" & the simplistic viewpoint of a "lie detecting machine" took over.

[@gaylemadelineigbante9629]

Another amazing video to watch!

[@whispersignal1]

Henry Goddard, eh? Looks like Captain Picard has disguised himself, and travelled through time. Either that, or we're part of a Holodeck program.

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

Computer: end program.

[@patelhemanshu1942]

Please make a video about Transylvanian history and culture and Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.

[@atianalancaster8911]

“Needless to say eyes don’t work like that.” 😂😂😂

[@5809AUJG]

Among the many screwups of the Ripper investigation, the English were adamant that the killer had to be a "foreigner", since " no Englishman would ever perpetrate such a horrific crime". And they invariably depicted fanciful illustrations of what they thought the killer might look like as brutal, almost primitive looking men. God forbid that a nice looking gentleman could ever do such terrible things!

[@ayybibi]

only witnesses suggested he was a foreigner because he had a heavy accent.

[@annking8633]

Super interesting. Thanks for posting.

[@damedesuka77]

3:13 Bond. Thomas Bond. Okay, I chuckled 😂

[@GrimgoreIronhide]

Never sneer at someone who started something that flourished. You can giggle now and again at some of their zannier moments, but always recognize them as the attempts of a pioneer.

[@farhanatoerien3437]

“Needless to say - eyes don’t work like that.” DEAD 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣❤️🤣🤣 I absolutely love your channel and your humour

[@zach7193]

Man, this is something. Inspiration for Sherlock Holmes.

[@loucarstairs4493]

i'd 100% watch a victorian version of csi, but historically accurate

[@twistedyogert]

7:11 Makes sense. Guns make too much noise and knives leave behind a big mess.

[@guntherholbrook5627]

Reads title. Makes no assumptions, enjoys the content and learns information. 10/10 would educate again.

[@alexandermuller950]

The most fascinating things about the Victorian era in my pov are: i) Their great sense of humor ii) Their majestic outfits iii) Queen Victoria ❤️

[@t.fairuz29]

What are you referencing when you say great sense of humour? Just curious.

[@mattwilliam5522]

So erotic yet so sad yet so sexy

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

Miasma!

[@wolfzmusic9706]

wdym by great sense of humour? their sense of humour is probably at least somewhat similar to now. also only the rich had majestic outfits

[@thunderbird1921]

How about etiquette? In some ways at least, they make our modern culture look pathetic.

[@Sorchia56]

Loved this one! I have a book that was written late 1800’s, early 1900’s I believe. The author goes into detail about transference. Every crime scene has it. We just moved so the book is still in one of too many boxes. It’s fascinating and truly brilliant. The author’s methods are still used to this day along with the many other technological advances. At first, his book book was considered tosh. Now it’s on it the list of books requirements for all Forensic students.

[@malkomalkavian]

Transference of what?

[@theresaiwright7085]

@@malkomalkavian evidence example if you were at a crime scene you could leave hair, skin and fiber behind. Also you could pick up the same thing and take it with you.

[@malkomalkavian]

@@theresaiwright7085 And that's called 'transference'? Ok, thank you :)

[@ezioaltair2929]

"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?" Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of Four

[@andycraddock7677]

@E. Altair: You have an excellent memory. Clearly a Holmesologist!

[@bjs301]

That has to be one of the stupidest "great lines" in the history of literature.

[@lilgabs222]

@@bjs301 why do you say that?

[@bjs301]

@@lilgabs222 Because it is preposterous. Real investigation is hard work. The idea of eliminating all the impossibles is ridiculous. You can rule out suspects, but there is no way to eliminate possible perpetrators you do not know about. You do not solve crimes by proving negatives. You have to prove that a specific person did the deed.

[@jackrotz2139]

The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence

[@astralfluxaf]

Imagine having these amazing ideas 💡 And then even going so far to reach out and tell people about your invention and then no one can actually use it for at least another 50 years when you’re dead. 🥴

[@kerenec1212]

Can you make a video about scientific advancements/contributions that were actually invented by people of colour (black, east/south Asian, indigenous, etc)

[@NewMessage]

The only thing weirder than this crime scene.... * pulls off sunglasses * ...Is history. * cue the theme music *

[@guntherholbrook5627]

I lol'd

[@cleverusername9369]

EEEEYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHH

[@vinnydaq13]

@@cleverusername9369 WE WON’T GET FOOLED AGAAAAAIIIINNN !!!

[@shirleytemple3728]

Love love love this channel

[@btetschner]

A+ video! Fascinating Forsenics, very ground-shaking to know their origins!

[@brianziegelmeier5495]

Another great video wish there was a new weird history video everyday

[@mattskustomkreations]

I’m guessing the “reg” in Reg. v. Steed case, means Regina, meaning the Queen aka the Queen’s government…?

[@l.l.4244]

Yes, exactly - it was agonising to have to sit through him so confidently blundering over that citation

[@aaroninky]

commonly abbreviated to R v [case], in the same format as the US common law system.

[@Blackknight-cd6hh]

Can you do five videos on the history of Finland,Swenden,Norway,Denmark,and Poland.

[@James_r4276]

These are the best on your lunch break!

[@Germania9]

It's worth mentioning that it was Eugène François Vidocq who was started all of this before the Victorians did.

[@abbiewj756]

Could you do a video about Victorian murderer and their stories? Would be very interesting to see!

[@Raherin]

This is a Weird channel, but Historically, it holds up.

[@technoman9000]

Dexter would've had it so easy in Victorian times...

[@theresaiwright7085]

👍👍

[@dannygolp7667]

Fr he'd never be caught. Or really even come close to being caught. But then again would he have the same knowledge back then that he does now?

[@martinjanev1705]

Thanks to Weird History for videos Very useful information All of kinds:fun,finans, learning, education ,very variation and Useful on W.H tnx

[@scottmantooth8785]

*you may have covered this aspect of crime investigation on another video but here in Knoxville TN we have the Body Farm that was started by Dr Bass at the University of Tennessee and has since been replicated in many other places...*

[@auntvesuvi3872]

Thank you for this! 🕵️‍♀️

[@loricarter2394]

Ok, this is kind of a catch for me: I think it would have been so cool to be so cool to be a doctor in the Victorian era, but I also think it would have been cool to be able to (more or less) literally get away with murder lol. Great video!!

[@mac3081]

Thanks for the knowledge

[@sydsmh]

can you do a video on Jonathan, the world’s oldest tortoise or on Greenland sharks? or both 😊

[@technoman9000]

Old tortoise is old, what else is there to say?

[@btetschner]

Such a fascinating topic!

[@cycloneC0]

Could you guys do a video on the SS Eastland disaster?

[@censusgary]

To diagnose poisoning, 19th-century medical examiners would typically taste the contents of the victims’ stomachs. Yikes!

[@archangel5627]

One thing I learned from watching Dexter is that it’s called “Blood Spatter” not “Blood Splatter.”

[@catalinacurio]

If only we had DNA testing when Jack the Ripper was slaughtering his victims…

[@rojaunjames747]

Only if

[@tabby73]

It's also unfortunate that fingerprints were not preserved at the time even though the knowledge of their uniqueness was already there 😖

[@t.fairuz29]

Then Jack the Ripper wouldn't be famous. He'd be just another of the countless men killing women. That he is still unknown is what makes him so well-known, ironically.

[@spacecowboy3952]

His name was Aaron Kosminski, he was a polish barber. We did dna testing… that was the result.

[@Manuel-gu9ls]

Years ago like 2015 a scholar who studied and earned a masters degree in criminology discovered & concluded that it was a barber is Jack the Ripper...

[@Mrchair905]

A video about lycanthropy throughout history could be neat if that’s not done already. Spooky season is around the corner.

[@chrismayer3919]

The one primary draw to Weird History is, and always will be… the puns! 😅

[@madamesalamander16]

I do love these topics! If you are interested in the weird, astounding and ghoulish historic aspects of health, hygiene, and the human body, Dr. Lindsay Fitzharris is a must-follow! She's magnificent.

[@KAYEscl0sed]

I laughed at the introduction of Bond.. Thomas Bond. Lol

[@kathyevans3251]

I loved th he fingerprint info. Recently it was a topic of a conversation

[@trevorslinkard31]

Even today you can still identify a gun to a bullet by looking at the bunter marks from the machines that stamp the back of bullets or even looking at the firing pin’s mark on the primer, similar to comparing forensic tool marks based on small details of wear with advanced microscopes. Same way one can compare a pair of pliers that bend wires in a detonated bomb

[@PeterRichardsandYoureNot]

Good timing on this, because they did INDEED call William Peterson as the Vegas CSI with Grissom is coming back, baby!!

[@Manuel-gu9ls]

Elementary my dear Watson...

[@PDoughboy22]

@Weird History just a heads up, its blood spatter, not splatter

[@GAdawg2k8]

The description of Jack the Ripper’s personality falls chillingly in line with how many serial killers like Bundy were described. I mean if serial killers actually LOOKED like homicidal maniacs, they would be less successful in accumulating victims. And I cannot even begin to comprehend what it was like for the man who photographed Mary Kelly, especially if he had to try and get a photo of her eyes. Tbh, it doesn’t seem like her eyes would have necessarily been in any condition to be recognized as eyes.

[@madamplatypus313]

Older comment, sorry, but that’s something that always confused me, like people really think serial killers’ll just walk up to you and say “Hi, I’m going to flay you in my basement.”

[@antonchigurh5472]

This needs to be a TV show already.

[@thenifell]

This man's voice is caramel glazed magic.

[@Jumbopoptv]

This is pretty interesting, I just got fingerprinted for my job today

[@prashantpandya2933]

Some KZbin video showed that forensic science began in 1908!!! I wondered about the sudden and rapid growth of forensic science.. But which information is more authentic ?

[@jacktribble5253]

He basically said we were going to separate forensics and science. Right off the bat.

[@btetschner]

11:19 I have never seen the film Blink (1993) before, but that theory is similar to the main story.

[@PaiviProject]

Wow. So that's how they CSI-d back in the day huh. Everything had to start somewhere. Thanks 👍👍

[@Rhapsodna]

We need a video about Jack the Ripper!

[@derekknight9789]

The desire to celebrate parasitic character is pathetic

[@chew76]

Could you do a video on the history of the duel

[@bigblue6917]

Toxicologist would examine the contents of the victims stomach when trying to ascertain if the victim was poisoned and which poison it may be. This could be very dangerous work as it would involve realising any toxic gases which had built up in the stomach. More than one toxicologist died from inhaling the gas.

[@NEEDCheese]

Impossible to compare every single person's finger prints to prove they are unique.

[@charlietbarnes4842]

Very informative 👏 x

[@hullinstruments]

Can someone please explain what the sparkling is caused by In the very opening scene of this video. Anyone familiar with the origin of that footage? I figure it must be an affect added in early film… But it looks so great. Obviously they would be using extremely bright lights, but I would be surprised if that were natural. Thanks for your time

[@UserUser-fg5cb]

PLEASE LIST THE TIME PERIOD (eg 1500 AD) WHEN THIS HAPPENED IN THE TITLE OF THE VIDEO

[@AnnettaDarandri]

Don’t forget William Peterson is also Will Graham 😗

[@hakeemfullerton8645]

Can you do a video on the assassination and medical treatment on U.S. President James Garfield

[@RedKresnik11]

the fact ears were also considered “identifying” because they’re also unique.

[@Skinys1]

Thanks! !

[@erics.1275]

Can you do a video on the American soldier Harry Butters?

[@matthewdrummond1340]

*Shot in the dark.* Why am I laughing so hard?

[@tylerhackner9731]

Interesting 🤔

[@MFCunnilingus]

Victorian Era Inspector Walter Dew at the SOC: “My god… the Killer was Me!”

[@NickDavis19878]

I would like too hear about when timeline is gonna start again

[@AlbertAlbertB.]

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek?! Christiaan Huygens as well please!

[@NGMonocrom]

Economic prosperity for some. Obviously no one wants to be homeless. But the Victorian era in England was one of the worst times and places to be out on the streets. Either due to poor health or simply having gotten a bit old. Still capable of working. Just not as fast a younger man.

[@PeetaGrifffin]

That last sketch makes me feel uneasy

[@soapyjay5764]

Please do one about cryptids around the world

[@teddrickjohnson2050]

Hey WH,It's crazy they give J.E.Hoover the credit for inventing FS in that bio with Leo DiCaprio.

[@ricksanchez5460]

Make videos about individual states (all 50) a state per video

[@thenewjord50]

Guess we have to wait to september for the last episode for the 90s timeline

[@paramdrall]

India was the first country to adopt Fingerprints in 1858. And " Weird History " fact is that actual people who were behind the work didn't get recognition because British Officer took All Credit. Will you make a video about Who these people were ?

[@StarChildErin]

Do Hatfield's and Mccoys