Don’t Drink the Kool Aid: The Massacre at Jonestown

On November 18, 1978, over 900 people lost their lives in a secluded settlement in the jungles of Guyana. On this fateful day, members of the San Francisco-based cult called the Peoples Temple consumed Kool-Aid under the command of their leader, the Reverend Jim Jones. Known as the “Jonestown Massacre,” this mass murder-suicide represents the largest American civilian casualties in a non-natural event until the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Jim Jones / Jonestown / Jim Jones Family / Jonestown.

Source: Getty Images

Photographs taken in the aftermath of the carnage reveal the sheer scale of the tragedy. They showed hundreds of men, women, and children lying face down on the glass. It’s been decades since the disaster, but the world is still fascinated by the Jonestown Massacre. It has inspired books, documentaries, and movies, making it an integral part of pop culture.

By now, you probably know not to drink the Kool-Aid, but here is what you might not know about the Jonestown Massacre.

ֲ© 2021 History by Day all rights reserved