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Friendship
Bonnie Nettles and Marshall Applewhite meet in a hospital in Houston, Texas. Nettles is a nurse while Applewhite is a patient. They form a relationship together. -
Heaven's Gate Creation
Nettles and Applewhite form the Heaven's Gate group. They believe that the Earth is about to be destroyed and that they are the only ones who will be saved. -
Recruitment Strategy
Applewhite and Nettles adopt a more active recruitment strategy. They begin to emphasize the idea that they are aliens who have come to Earth to help people prepare for the transition. -
Nettle's Death
Nettles dies of cancer. Applewhite becomes the only leader of the group. -
Living Area
Applewhite and several members of Heaven's Gate purchase a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California, which they use for their rituals. -
Interviewing the members
Applewhite records a videotape in which he and other members of Heaven's Gate explain their beliefs and announce their intention to commit suicide – in order to join the Next Level. -
Hale-Bopp Comet
The Hale-Bopp comet reaches its closest point to Earth. This event becomes a focal point for Heaven's Gate, who believe that the comet is a sign of the approaching transition to the "Next Level." -
The End
Applewhite and the 38 other members of Heaven's Gate commit suicide by ingesting a lethal cocktail of phenobarbital and vodka. They are found lying in neat rows in the mansion's bunk beds, covered with a sheet. -
News Spread to the Public
The bodies of the Heaven's Gate members are discovered by a former member who had left the group before the suicide. This discovery prompts a media frenzy and widespread shock and disbelief.