The Story of Heaven’s Gate, One of the Most Bizarre Mass Suicides in History
the story of a religious cult
One of the most bizarre mass suicides in history took place on March 26, 1997, when 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate religious group committed suicide together in their San Diego mansion. The 39 bodies were found draped in purple shrouds and wearing black-and-white Nike shoes, an outfit that the group said would allow them to transition easily into heaven.
Heaven’s Gate, a cult led by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles, became famous in 1997 when the entire membership committed mass suicide in order to reach an alien spacecraft they believed was following the Hale-Bopp comet. While their motivations have been debated, some members left behind tapes explaining that they believed this was their only way to escape Earth and achieve salvation in the next level above humans.
A brief history
Before they killed themselves, 39 members of a religious group called Heaven’s Gate taped bags over their heads and wore white robes with Nikes. According to reports at the time, they lived together in two trailers outside San Diego and followed an unusual belief system that embraced extraterrestrial life and believed a spaceship was trailing behind Comet Hale-Bopp.
