Nash, John Forbes (b. June 13, 1928, Bluefield, W.Va., U.S.) U.S. mathematician. He earned a doctorate from Princeton University at 22. He began teaching at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951 but left in the late 1950s because of mental illness; thereafter he was infor¬ mally associated with Princeton. Beginning in the 1950s with his influ-
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PAINTING BY RICHARD ELUS
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Nash ► Nasser I 1329
ential thesis “Non-cooperative Games,” Nash established the mathematical principles of game theory. His theory, known as the Nash solution or Nash equilibrium, attempted to explain the dynamics of threat and action among competitors. Despite its practical limitations, it was widely applied by business strategists. He shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economics with John C. Harsanyi (b. 1920) and Reinhard Selten (b. 1930). A film version of his life, A Beautiful Mind (2001), won an Acad¬ emy Award for best picture.
Nash, (Frederic) Ogden (b. Aug. 19, 1902, Rye, N.Y., U.S.—d. May 19, 1971, Baltimore, Md.) U.S. writer of humorous poetry. Nash sold his first verse in 1930 to The New Yorker, on whose staff he worked. In 1931 he published Hard Lines, the first of 20 collections that include The Bad Parents’ Garden of Verse (1936), I’m a Stranger Here Myself { 1938), and Everyone but Thee and Me (1962). His audacious, quotable verse employs delightfully impossible rhymes, puns, and ragged stanzas, often inter¬ rupted by digressions. He wrote several children’s books and the lyrics for the musicals One Touch of Venus (1943) and Two’s Company (1952).
Nashe \'nash\, Thomas (b. 1567, Lowestoft, Suffolk, Eng.—d. c. 1601, Yarmouth, Norfolk?) English pamphleteer, poet, dramatist, and nov¬ elist. The first of the English prose eccentrics, Nashe wrote in a vigorous combination of colloquial diction and idiosyncratic coined compounds that was ideal for controversy. Among his works are the satire Pierce Penilesse His Supplication to the Divell (1592); the masque Summers Last Will and Testament (1592, published 1600); The Unfortunate Traveller (1594), the first picaresque novel in English; and Nashes Lenten Stuffe (1599). The play Dido, Queen of Carthage (1594) was a collaboration with Christopher Marlowe.
Nashville City (pop., 2000: 545,524), capital of Tennessee, U.S. It is located on the Cumberland River. Founded in 1779 as Nashborough, it was incorporated as the town of Nashville in 1784. It became a city in 1806 and the state capital in 1843. During the American Civil War, it was occupied by Federal troops (1862). The war’s last major battle (1864) took place outside the city. It is a financial and commercial centre, producing shoes, clothing, glass, and tires. Important industries include printing, publishing, and recording. Well known for country and western music, it is the site of Opry- land U.S.A. and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. It is the home of many universities, including Vanderbilt and Fisk.
Nashville Convention (1850) Two-session meeting of proslavery U.S. Southerners. In 1849 Mississippi held a convention at the urging of John C. Calhoun, calling for all slaveholding states to send delegates to Nashville, Tenn., to form a united front against perceived Northern aggression. Delegates from nine Southern states met in June 1850; though extremists favoured secession, moderate Whigs and Democrats prevailed. The group adopted 28 resolutions defending slavery but was willing to allow an extension to the Pacific of the boundary established in the Mis¬ souri Compromise. After the Compromise of 1850, a smaller group of del¬ egates met in November; dominated by extremists, it denounced the compromise and called again for secession.
Nasi, Lake or Lake Nasijarvi \'na-se-,yar-ve\ Lake, southwestern Finland. About 20 mi (32 km) long and 8 mi (13 km) wide at its widest point, it is the largest of the Pyha lakes. Its southern banks are flat and barren, but the northern shore is more developed. Ferries have operated on the lake since 1858.
Nasir al-DTn Shah Xna-'ser-al-'den-'shaX or Naser od-DIn Shah
(b. (b. July 17, 1831, Tehran, Iran—d. May 1, 1896, Tehran) Qajar dynasty shah of Iran (1848-96) who began his reign as a reformer but became increasingly conservative. Domestically, he curbed the power of the clergy in secular affairs, introduced telegraph and postal services, built roads, opened the first school offering education along Western lines, and launched Iran’s first newspaper. Later in his rule, however, he steadfastly refused to deal with the growing pressure for reforms. He granted a series of concessionary rights to foreigners in return for large payments. Fore¬ most among these was a 50-year concession given in 1890 on the pur¬ chase, sale, and processing of all tobacco in the country, which led to a national boycott of tobacco and the withdrawal of the concession the fol¬ lowing year. The incident—popularly termed the “Tobacco Rebellion”—is often considered to be the origin of modem Iranian nation¬ alism.
Nasir-e Khusraw \na-'ser-e-k6s-'ro\ (b. 1004, Qubadiyan,
Khorasan—d. c. 1072/ 77, Yumgan, Central Asia) Persian poet, theolo¬
gian, and propagandist. Born into a family of government officials who belonged to the ShYite branch of Islam, he attended school only briefly. In 1045 he made a pilgrimage to Mecca and then traveled to Palestine and Egypt, which was then ruled by the Shfite Fajimid dynasty. He returned to his homeland to serve as a missionary for the Fatimid’s Isma'TlT sect of Shl'ites, but his efforts aroused the hostility of the majority Sunnites and he was obliged to flee. Considered one of the greatest Persian writers, he is remembered for his didactic and devotional poetry as well as for his Diary of a Journey Through Syria and Palestine.
Nasirah, Al- See Nazareth Naskapi See Montagnais and Naskapi
Nasmyth Vna-.smithX, James (b. Aug. 19, 1808, Edinburgh, Scot.—d. May 7, 1890, London, Eng.) Scottish engineer. Son of the artist Alex¬ ander Nasmyth (1758-1840), he is known mainly for his invention of the steam hammer (1839), an important metallurgical tool of the Industrial Revolution. He also devised tools such as a planing machine, a steam pile driver, and a hydraulic punching machine, and he manufactured more than 100 steam locomotives. He retired at 48 to devote himself to his hobby, astronomy.
NasranI \nas-'ra-ne\, Cape or Ra’s NasranI Vras-.nas-'ra-neX Inlet and cape, southeastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. The site of an Egyptian military base, it was captured by Israeli forces in the Sinai cam¬ paign of 1956 (see Suez Crisis). After the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel again occupied the site before withdrawing from the Sinai Peninsula in the early 1980s. In 1972 a new town, Ophira (now Sharm al-Shaykh), was built there. The region has been developed as a recreational and tourist area.
Nassau Historical region of Germany, former duchy, western part of modern Hesse. It is a thickly forested and hilly area north and east of the Rhine, crossed by the Lahn River and the Taunus Mountains. The title “Count of Nassau” was first assumed in the 12th century. Nassau joined the Confederation of the Rhine and became a duchy in 1806. It was annexed by Prussia in 1866. The present-day royal heads of The Netherlands and Luxembourg are descended from this family, called the house of Nassau.
Nassau City (pop., 1999 est.: 214,000), capital of The Bahamas. Located on the northeastern coast of New Providence island, it was settled by the English in the 17th century and became a rendezvous for pirates in the 18th century. Forts were built there to ward off attacks by encroach¬ ing Spaniards. During the American Civil War, it became a base for Con¬ federate blockade runners. It is now a popular resort; its economy is based on tourism.
Nasser, Gamal Abdel also spelled Jamal 'Abd al-Nasir (b. Jan. 15, 1918, Alexandria, Egypt—d.