On Friday night, March 21, 1997, the members of Heaven's Gate went to a chain restaurant called Marie Callender's, where they ordered 39 identical meals of salad and pot pies, and finished off with cheesecake. This was to be their final earthly meal, because the next day, the comet would be in its closest proximity to Earth. It was time to begin their departure.
On Saturday, they started the process. Everyone dressed identically in black long-sleeved shirts and black sweat pants, with new black-and-white Nike tennis shoes. On their left shirtsleeves were armband patches on which the words "Heaven's Gate Away Team" were stitched—possibly a reference to the television program Star Trek: The Next Generation on which a small crew called the "away team" went off on planetary ventures. The members of Heaven's Gate each packed a small overnight bag with clothing, lip balm, and spiral notebooks, and they placed these bags at the foot end of their beds. They also put three quarters and a five-dollar bill into their shirt pockets—a habit they had developed whenever they went out so they would always have cab fare or change for the phone. The Nike slogan at the time was "just do it," which could explain why they all wore Nike shoes.
Read Full Article »