Luminol (3-Aminophthalhydrazide) was synthesized for the first time in 1853. Its property to produce a chemo-luminescent reaction in basic solution in the presence of an oxidizing agent on contact with blood was first observed by Albrecht in 1928.

When did luminol start being used?

The first proposed forensic use of luminol as a preliminary blood test was reported by Specht in 1937. He sprayed blood on bushes, stone walls, rusty iron fences, furniture, stone steps and a garden.

When was luminol first used in UK?

In 1900 human blood groups were identified, and in 1915 a method for determining blood types was discovered - and was used immediately in criminal investigations. Luminol was developed in 1937.