jan 1, 1788 - Fingerprinting: Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer declares fingerprints are unique to individuals

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German anatomist Mayer, writing in Anatomical Copper-plates with Appropriate Explanations, makes the bold scientific claim that the arrangement of skin ridges is never duplicated in two persons. This is a landmark theoretical statement, the principle of uniqueness that will not be empirically verified for another century but is foundational to the entire science of fingerprinting.

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