17 Disturbing Photos With Horrifying Backstories

4. Jonestown

Jonestown

While we're on the subject of mass suicide, there's none more infamous than the occurrences of Jonestown. The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, led by the charismatic leader Jim Jones, had an astonishing 918 people take their own lives. It's the largest mass suicide in history and a terrible reminder of the power of the cult of personality.

Prior to September 11th, 2001, the act was the single largest loss of American life from a deliberate act, and some witnesses have characterized the event as a mass murder more so than a suicide. The incident that gave birth to the phrase "drinking the kool-aid", a large vat of the drink (actually Flavor-aid) was mixed up containing valium and cyanide and members begin to ingest it via syringe, squirting in the mouths of children.

The 44-minute "death tape" recorded that day captures much of this event in audible horror. The picture shown here is one that conveys the scale of the loss of life on that day, with bodies literally piling up on top of one another.

 
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Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.