Jim Jones was a charismatic cult leader who convinced over 900 followers to drink poison and die by suicide with him at the Jonestown settlement in Guyana. As a young man, he was interested in political and religious figures and started his own church preaching social justice. He was able to attract many followers with his powerful speaking skills. Eventually, he moved his followers, called the People's Temple, to Guyana where he had complete control over them and their belongings. On November 18, 1978, he convinced over 900 people to drink poisoned Flavor-Aid, killing them, because he believed the world was cruel and they had "lived long enough."