Uncovered :: History of Handwriting

As fingerprinting does, handwriting has a long history. Over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle noticed a correlation between a person's handwriting and their personality. The first book on handwriting analysis was published in 1622 by University of Bologna professor Dr. Camillo Baldo. His book, titled "A Way of Knowing the Nature and Qualities of a Writer from a Letter Written", explained that if you were to learn enough about handwriting analysis, you could be able to tell the thoughts and emotions more in depth than the actual words he is writing.

An Ohio man named Bruce Steiner scored big at a Cleveland flea market when he bought what was supposed to be Abraham Lincoln's final signature. Supposedly, this was a real signature of Lincoln the day he was assassinated. Because many thought it was a fake, Steiner was able to buy it for $20. But after a handwriting analysis, it was proved as Lincoln's actual signature. Imagine how much that could be worth today.

The first time handwriting analysis was used for a crime investigation in America was when young Charles Lindbergh Jr. was kidnapped from his home in 1932. Twelve ransom notes were received between March 1st and April 2nd that year, all coming indirectly from the kidnapper Although the 20 month old baby was soon found dead, the investigation carried on for 2 years. Eventually, they found a match in the handwriting samples of the kidnapper and Bruno Hauptmann. He was sentenced to death and was executed on April 3rd, 1936.

Today, there are over 20,000 certified handwriting experts, or graphologists, in the US. It is estimated that about 5,000 corporations use handwriting analysis in different ways.