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Jennifer Rosenberg

Jennifer's 20th Century History Blog

By Jennifer Rosenberg, About.com Guide to 20th Century History

The Members of the Heaven's Gate Cult Commit Suicide

Friday March 26, 2004
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.

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