What Happened On March 26th?

March 26th of 1997 was a bizarre morning in Southern California, and nobody was expecting to find what they did. Police arrived at a secluded mansion in Rancho Santa Fe in the city of San Diego to discover a scene ripped from a sci-fi nightmare saga. Inside, 39 bodies lay peacefully under purple shrouds, all dressed identically in dark clothes and wearing the same exact pair of Nike sneakers.

Why were they wearing those shoes? They were a favorite of the group’s leader, Marshall Applewhite, who was a bit of a sneakerhead. He even used “Doe” (a play on his nickname) in place of “Do” in their adaptation of Nike’s famous slogan, “Just Do It.”

The uniform clothing was part of a very specific ritual where members were supposed to “leave their earthly bodies so that they could inhabit an alien vessel” which they believed trailed the Hale-Bopp comet. This comet was one of the brightest comets ever observed and was visible for 18 months on end.

They did not all take their lives at once. The group meticulously planned and executed the suicides in stages, believed to be three waves over three days. Almost like a kingdom, findings suggest that there was a possible hierarchy within the group, with some members tasked with cleaning and preparing for the next wave, acting almost like a morbid flight crew.

Though 39 members participated, some former members did not partake. Which is even stranger is that at least three committed suicide in the following months, possibly unable to cope outside the group’s belief system. This raises questions about manipulation and the group’s control over its followers.

Heaven’s Gate was an early adopter of the internet. Ahead of their time, they used tactical websites to spread their message, even leaving behind detailed suicide videos which explained their beliefs. Born in 1989, the internet proved to be used as a tool for deception, a concern that continues to be relevant today.

Now, members meticulously planned for their life after their “Earth departure.” They withdrew all their money from banks, leaving behind only $5 bills and rolls of quarters in their pockets – believed to be for potential use on the “other side.”

However, it wasn’t over yet. A 58-year-old man with no known connection to the group committed suicide shortly after, mimicking their methods and referencing the Hale-Bopp comet.

So, what do you think about this?