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Cults

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Branch Davidian Compound BurningThe Branch Davidians' Mount Carmel compound outside of Waco, Texas, burns to the ground during the 1993 raid by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). Nearly 80 members of the religious group were killed in the fire, which ended the 51-day standoff between the Davidians the ATF. | Location: Near Waco, Texas, USA. (Photo by �� Greg Smith/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

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Waco Siege

David Koresh On February 28, 1993, some 80 agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) raided a religious compound at Mount Carmel, near Waco, Texas, after receiving reports that the Branch Davidians and their leader, David Koresh, were violating federal firearms regulations. After four ATF agents and six Davidians were killed […]

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Flowers Growing by Jonestown Pavilion (Original Caption) Jonestown, Guyana: A 25-man work crew of the Guyanese government is making a half-hearted attempt to keep the jungle from reclaiming Jonestown. Flowers continue to grow outside the main assembly pavilion at Rev. Jim Jones' promised Marxist "heaven on earth," where a year ago 913 Peoples Temple cultists perished in mass murder-suicides. The only survivors from Jonestown still around the scene of the tragedy are the goats on a livestock farm a mile and a half from the main compound, plus two cats and a dog named "Fluffy."

Jonestown

Origins of the Peoples Temple Prior to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the tragedy at Jonestown marked the single largest loss of U.S. civilian lives in a non-natural disaster. The megalomaniacal man behind the tragedy, Jim Jones, came from humble beginnings. Jones was born on May 13, 1931, in rural Indiana. In the […]

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Jim Jones

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The Jonestown Radio Network: How Jim Jones Spread His Message Of Death

Chilling audiotapes tell the story of the Jonestown massacre.

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Jim Jones at Jonestown

Inside Jonestown: How Jim Jones Trapped Followers and Forced ‘Suicides’

The 918 deaths in Guyana under cult leader Jim Jones were more mass murder than suicide.

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Dianne Lake

Life as a 14-Year-Old Manson Girl: A View From Inside the Murderous Cult

Former Manson Family member Dianne Lake recalls dumpster diving, orgies and singalongs. ‘We were there to serve Charlie.’

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Fire and smoke consuming the David Koresh-led Branch Davidian cult compound, 1993.  (Credit: Mark Perlstein/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images)

What Happened to the Branch Davidians After Waco?

The Branch Davidians fell from public view after the disastrous raid of their compound, but they maintained a presence in Waco, Texas—and around the world.

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This Day in History


1978

Mass suicide at Jonestown

1970s
1997

Heaven’s Gate cult members found dead

Crime
1993

Waco Siege ends; Branch Davidian compound burns

1990s
1993

ATF raids Branch Davidian compound

1990s
1985

A raid is set for MOVE headquarters

Crime
1988

A cult leader kills one of his followers

Crime
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