Members of the Heaven’s Gate cult believed they were destined for another world where they would transcend to the next level in human evolution when 39 of them killed themselves en masse inside their California home on March 26, 1997.
Indoctrinated by cult leader Marshall Applewhite, who claimed that a spaceship following the Hale-Bopp comet would transport them to a utopian planet, devotees eagerly followed his instructions.
On that fateful day in March, the 39 cultists consumed a mixture of barbiturates and applesauce and washed it down with vodka. Group by group, bags were tied over their heads to ensure asphyxiation. Applewhite himself was the 37th to die. They were found wearing matching Nike sneakers and “Heaven’s Gate Away Team” armbands a few days later.
