The Members of the Heaven's Gate Cult Commit Suicide

On March 26, 1997, police entered a mansion in San Diego, Calif. and discovered the bodies of 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult. All the dead, 18 men and 21 women, had buzz-cut haircuts, wore black clothing, and Nike tennis shoes. Nearly all of the bodies were found lying on their backs and had a purple cloth draped over their heads. The group believed their bodies were merely containers that held their spirit until an alien spacecraft arrived to take their spirits to a "literal heaven." The group believed that the spacecraft was hiding behind the Hale-Bopp comet.