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Jim Jones
On May 13, 1931, James Warren Jones was born in Indiana, USA. Jones deceived thousands of beings, using different patterns of behavior, performing 'miracles' to attract the people that were near him. He also predicted that the World would come to an end by a nuclear war. All these 'miracles' and 'prophecies' made him appear to others as a 'celestial being'.
He developed a belief called Translation in which he and his followers would all die together, and would move to another planet for a life of bliss. Rumors of human rights abuses circulated. This motivated Leo Ryan, a Congressman, to visit Jonestown for a personal inspection. At first, the visit went well. Later, some of the members of the Temple decided that they wanted to leave Jonestown with the visitors. While they were waiting at the local airstrip, some heavily armed members of the Temple's security guards arrived and started shooting. Congressman Ryan and four others were killed; 11 were wounded. Fearing retribution, Jones ordered his entire group to commit suicide by drinking cyanide-laced kool-aid. 638 of his adult followers and 276 children committed suicide by drinking the poison. A few fled into the jungle and survived.
Next Chapter: Shoko Asahara and the Aum Shinri Kyo Sect