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Bizarre cults of the world
Heaven's Gate
Led primarily by Marshall Applewhite, followers of the Heaven's Gate cult believed that the world was set to "recycle" itself in 1997, effectively bringing about doomsday.
They saw their only chance of survival in leaving the planet. As such they committed suicide – dressed in white Nike trainers and armbands that read "Heaven's Gate away team" - believing their souls would escape to the Hale-Bopp comet.
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