David Koresh was a cult leader who gained international notoriety in the early 1990s. Born Vernon Wayne Howell in 1959, he changed his name to David Koresh in the early 1980s. He joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church in California in the 1970s, but was expelled due to his radical beliefs. Koresh then moved to Texas and began preaching his own version of Christianity. He founded the Branch Davidian sect, which had about 100 members living in a compound near Waco, Texas. Koresh believed that he was a messiah and had a direct line of communication with God. He interpreted the Bible in a unique way and believed that the end of the world was coming. In 1993, the compound was raided by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) after allegations of child abuse and weapons violations. The siege lasted 51 days and ended in tragedy when the FBI attempted to storm the compound, resulting in a fire that killed 76 members of the sect, including Koresh. The incident has been the subject of much controversy and investigation, with many questioning the tactics of law enforcement and the role of Koresh in the events that unfolded.