History Dispatches

← History Dispatches21 Aug · 21 min

Story of the Polygraph

Story of the Polygraph21 Aug21 min

The ability to tell if someone is lying has long been something humans have attempted to perfect. From torture to psychology, it is the holy grail of criminal investigation. In 1921, a PhD student and police rookie, John Larson, may have cracked the code by inventing the polygraph. It is an invention, many said, that was sure to change the face of criminology forever. Or maybe not. Did he instead unleash a monster into the world? This is the story of the polygraph.

Sources

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/lie-detector-1000-words/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-creator-first-lie-detectors-regret-invention-polygraph-machine-inventor-180985222/

https://illumin.usc.edu/lie-detection-the-science-and-development-of-the-polygraph/

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygraph#/media/File:Leonarde_Keeler_1937.jpg

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