Nanna See Sin
Nanni di Banco \'nan-ne-de-'baq-ko\ (b. 1384/907, Florence, Repub¬ lic of Florence—d. 1421, Florence) Florentine sculptor. Trained by his father, a sculptor who worked on the cathedral of Florence, Nanni received his first important commission from that cathedral, a life-size marble statue of the prophet Isaiah. The classically influenced Four Crowned Saints (c. 1411-13) for Or San Michele is considered his masterpiece. He is thought to have been the teacher of the Della Robbia family. His work exemplifies the stylistic transition from Gothic to Renaissance in early 15th-century Italy.
Nanning \'nan- , niq\ or Nan-ning formerly (1913-45) Yung-ning \'yuq-'niq\ City (pop., 2003 est.: 1,031,672), capital of Guangxi province, southern China. Located on the banks of the Yung River, it was the site
of a county seat first established in ad 318. A frontier prefecture under the Song dynasty, it was later ruled successively by the Ming and Qing dynas¬ ties and was opened to foreign trade in 1907. It was occupied by the Japa¬ nese during the Sino-Japanese War (1937^-5), although it was briefly a U.S. ah' base. It was a supply base for communist forces during the anti- French war in Indochina (see Indochina wars) and the Vietnam War. For¬ merly known mainly as a commercial and administrative centre, it now also has diversified manufacturing.
nanotechnology Manipulation of atoms, molecules, and materials to form structures on the scale of nanometres (billionths of a metre). These nanostructures typically exhibit new properties or behaviours due to quan¬ tum mechanics. In 1959 Richard Feynman first pointed out some potential quantum benefits of miniaturization. A major advancement was the inven¬ tion of molecular-beam epitaxy by Alfred Cho and John Arthur at Bell Laboratories in 1968 and its development in the 1970s, which enabled the controlled deposition of single atomic layers. Scientists have made some progress at building devices, including computer components, at nano¬ scales. Faster progress has occurred in the incorporation of nanomateri¬ als in other products, such as stain-resistant coatings for clothes and invisible sunscreens.
Nansen Vnan-S9n\, Fridtjof (b. Oct. 10, 1861, Store-Frpen, near Kris- tiania, Nor.—d. May 13, 1930, Lysaker, near Oslo) Norwegian explorer and statesman. In 1888 he led the first expedition to cross the ice fields of Greenland. On a later expedition, in 1895, in an attempt to reach the North Pole, he reached the farthest northern latitude then attained. He engaged in scientific research (1896-1917) and led oceanographic expe¬ ditions in the North Atlantic in 1900 and 1910-14. He undertook diplo¬ matic missions as Norway’s first minister to Britain (1906-08) and as head of Norway’s delegation to the new League of Nations (1920). He directed the repatriation from Russia of over 400,000 prisoners of war for the League and organized famine relief in Russia for the Red Cross. In 1922 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace; he used the prize money for international relief work. In 1931 the Nansen International Office for Refugees was established in Geneva.
Nantahala \,nan-t9-'ha-l3\ River River, western North Carolina, U.S. It flows 40 mi (64 km) north through the Nantahala National Forest into the Little Tennessee River and is noted for whitewater rafting and its scenery. The Nantahala Gorge is the subject of many Cherokee legends.
Nantes \'na"t\ Breton Naoned \'na-ned\ ancient Condivincum City (pop., 1999: 270,251), northwestern France. Located on the Loire River, west of Tours, it derives its name from the Namnetes, a Gallic tribe settled there before the Romans conquered Gaul. The Huns, the Normans, and dukes of Brittany claimed it before it passed to France in 1499. It rallied to King Henry IV of France after he signed the Edict of Nantes in 1598. During the French Revolution its populace suffered many executions. Occupied by German troops in World War II, it was heavily damaged by Allied bombing; it was taken by U.S. troops in 1944. Rebuilt into a major economic centre, it has important industrial plants and shipbuilding yards. It also boasts a castle, a cathedral, a university, and an art museum.
Nantes, Edict of (April 13, 1598) Law promulgated by Henry IV of France to grant religious liberty and full civil rights to the Protestant Huguenots. It stipulated that Protestant pastors were to be paid by the state, and public worship was permitted in most of the kingdom, though not in Paris. It also restored Catholicism in all areas where Catholic practice had been interrupted by the Wars of Religion. The edict was resented by the Catholic clergy; Cardinal de Richelieu annulled its political clauses in 1629, and the full edict was revoked by Louis XIV in 1685.
Nantucket Island (pop., 2000: 9,520), Atlantic Ocean, south of Cape Cod, Mass., U.S. It is separated from Martha's Vineyard by the Muskeget Channel. Of glacial origin, it has sandy beaches, a good harbour, and a moderate climate. Purchased from the Plymouth colony in 1641, it became part of New York and was settled in 1659, then ceded to Massachusetts in 1692. In the 1690s Quakers began arriving on the island. It was a whal¬ ing centre in the 18th century. The summer tourist trade is now its eco¬ nomic mainstay.
naos See cella
napalm \'na-,pam\ Organic compound, the aluminum soap or salt of a mixture of fatty acids, used to thicken gasoline for use as an incendiary in flamethrowers and firebombs. The thickened mixture, itself also called napalm, burns more slowly and can be propelled more accurately and over
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greater distances than gasoline. When it comes in contact with surfaces, including the human body, it sticks tenaciously and continues to burn. It was developed and first used by the U.S. in World War II. Its use in the Vietnam War became highly controversial.
Napata Vna-p3-to\ Town in ancient Egypt. Located below the fourth cataract of the Nile River in the northern part of what is now The Sudan, it was the capital (c. 750-590 bc) of the Nubian kingdom of Kush and was part of the homeland of the Karmah culture. From the early 18th dynasty it came under Egyptian influence. Ruins in the area include pyramids and temples.
naphthalene Vnaf-tho-.lenX Simplest of the fused (condensed) ring hydrocarbons, an aromatic compound composed of two benzene rings shar¬ ing two adjacent carbon atoms (C 10 H 8 ). It is a white solid at room tem¬ perature, very volatile, with a characteristic odour. Naphthalene is an important raw material in the manufacture of dyes and synthetic resins and has been used as a moth repellent.
Napier Vna-porX, John (b. 1550, Merchiston Castle, near Edinburgh, Scot.—d. April 4, 1617, Merchiston Castle) Scottish mathematician and champion of Protestantism. He divided his life between attacks on the church of Rome and the pursuit of numerical calculations. On a number of occasions he urged James IV of Scotland to deal firmly with the Catho¬ lic threat. From 1594 he worked on developing secret weapons, includ¬ ing a metal chariot with small holes through which shot could be fired. He developed the concept of the logarithm to facilitate calculations involv¬ ing multiplication, division, roots, and powers. He also introduced the decimal point as a notation for decimal fractions. The set of calculating rods he designed was a precursor to the slide rule.
Naples Italian Napoli Vna-po-l e\ ancient Neapolis City (pop., 2001 prelim.: 993,386), capital of Campania, southern Italy. Located on the northern side of the Bay of Naples, southeast of Rome, it was founded c. 600 bc by refugees from an ancient Greek colony; it was conquered by the Romans in the 4th century bc. Part of the realms of the Byzantines and then the Saracens, in the 11th century it was conquered by the Nor¬ man ruler of Sicily, and through the 19th century it was the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the Kingdom of Naples. It was entered by Giuseppe de Garibaldi’s expedition in 1860. Heavily damaged in World War II by Allied and German bombing, it was later rebuilt, but it suffered severe earthquake damage in 1980. It is a commercial and cultural centre and a major port with diversified industries. Among the city’s attractions are medieval castles, an abundance of churches, numerous museums, including the National Archaeological Museum of Greco-Roman antiq¬ uities, and a university.