On this day: November 18

Jonestown Mass Deaths Result in Over 900 Fatalities

On November 18, 1978, more than 900 members of the Peoples Temple died in Jonestown, Guyana, in a mass act of collective death following orders from the group's leader, Jim Jones. The event remains one of the largest losses of American civilian life in a single non-natural incident.

Jonestown: the first widely documented mass suicide associated with a cult

On November 18, 1978, more than 900 members of the Peoples Temple died in Jonestown, Guyana, in what remains the most extensively documented mass suicide-murder linked to a cult; investigations revealed coercion, murder, and complex political and social ties behind the deaths.

Two trains collide near Clapham Junction, killing 35 commuters

On 18 November 1987, a late-evening collision between two passenger trains near London resulted in a large loss of life and dozens injured; the accident prompted urgent safety reviews of signalling and driver procedures across British Rail.