1461: Empire of Trebizond surrenders to forces of Sultan Mehmed II, the last remnant of the Byzantine Empire to fall; Emperor David is exiled and later executed

1620: The Mayflower sets sail from Southampton, England, with 102 Pilgrims bound for the New World

1900: Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi, her family, and court retainers flee Peking for Xi’an as foreign troops move through the capital in an attempt to quell the Boxer Rebellion

1947: India gains independence from the United Kingdom and remains a dominion until 1950

1998: Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland, the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles, kills 29 people and injures about 220

2021: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flees the country as Taliban forces enter the capital Kabul and take control

Source: Onthisday.com