Germanic leader Odoacer captured Ravenna and deposed Emperor Romulus Augustus, marking the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Odoacer: Odoacer, also spelled Odovacer or Odovacar, was a barbarian soldier and statesman from the Middle Danube who, as an officer of the Roman army, deposed the Western Roman child emperor Romulus Augustulus to become the ruler of Italy in the period 476–493 AD. His takeover is traditionally understood as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire. September 4, 476. Wiki link