Founded by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles in the '70s, Heaven's Gate believed in extraterrestrial salvation. In 1997, the group members committed mass suicide to board an imaginary spaceship trailing the Hale-Bopp comet.
Led by Shoko Asahara, Aum Shinrikyo aimed for global domination through a mix of Hinduism and Buddhism. In 1995, the cult orchestrated the infamous Tokyo subway sarin gas attack, that resulted in 13 fatalities. This attack is the deadliest terrorist incident in modern Japanese history.
This cult blended Christianity, New Age philosophy, and UFO conspiracy theories. Notorious for its mass suicides, which claimed 74 lives in the '90s, the Solar Temple believed in ascending to a new life on a mythical planet via suicide.
Led by Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple ended in tragedy in 1978 when over 900 followers, including children, died in a mass murder-suicide in Jonestown, a remote settlement in Guyana, following Jones' orders.
The Thuggees were reportedly active in India from the 14th to the 19th centuries and were devotees of the goddess Kali. They were said to indulge in ritualistic strangulation of travellers. However, many historians believe this cult was a mere invention of the British colonial regime.
Operating in Uganda, this cult predicted the apocalypse and amassed followers through strict adherence to the Ten Commandments. In 2000, the cult faced a tragic end when over 700 members died in a mass murder-suicide event.
Led by Roch Thériault, this cult in Canada during the '70s and '80s practised extreme physical and psychological abuse. Thériault convinced followers to undergo bizarre surgeries and amputations, leading to several deaths.
Led by Charles Manson, this cult aimed to incite a race war. In 1969, members brutally murdered actress Sharon Tate and several others in a series of gruesome killings.
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