The moment
On 3 March 1924 Turkey's Grand National Assembly abolished the Ottoman caliphate, sixteen months after ending the sultanate, and sent the last caliph, Abdülmecid II, into exile. Sharif Husayn of Mecca claimed the title within weeks, but the office has never been refilled by general consent.
People: Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Abdülmecid II