May 20 is notable for several significant events in history. In 1961, a white mob attacked a bus carrying Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama, as they protested racial segregation. This violent incident prompted the federal government to dispatch U.S. Marshals to restore order. Earlier, in 1861, North Carolina seceded from the Union, becoming the 10th state to join the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Another pivotal moment occurred in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which facilitated the privatization of federal land to encourage settlement west of the Mississippi River. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh embarked on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France. Other notable events include the election of Chiang Kai-shek as the first president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in 1948, and in 2015, major banks were penalized for rigging currency markets, highlighting ongoing issues in financial regulation.