Nien Rebellion See Nian Rebeluon
Niepce Vnyeps\, (Joseph-) Nicephore (b. March 7, 1765, Chalon- sur-Saone, France—d. July 5, 1833, Chalon-sur-Saone) French inventor. In 1807 Niepce and his brother invented an internal-combustion engine (fueled with lycopodium powder). In 1813 he began experiments with lithography. He is best remembered for his experiments with photogra¬ phy, which he called heliography. In 1826-27, using a camera, he made a view from his workroom window on a pewter plate—the first perma¬ nently fixed image from nature. In 1829 he began a partnership with L.-J.-M. Daguerre to perfect and exploit heliography, but he died before they had achieved any further advance.
Nietzsche Vne-cho, 'ne-che\, Friedrich (Wilhelm) (b. Oct. 15,1844, Rocken, Saxony, Prussia—d. Aug. 25, 1900, Weimar, Thuringian States) German-Swiss philosopher and writer, one of the most influential of mod¬ ern thinkers. The son of a Lutheran pastor, he studied at Bonn and Leipzig and at age 24 became professor of Classical philology at the University of Basel. He became close to the older Richard Wagner, in whose operas he saw the potential for the revival of Western civilization, but broke with Wagner angrily in 1876. His Birth of Tragedy (1872) contained major insights into ancient Greek drama; like Untimely Meditations (1873), it is dominated by a Romantic perspective also influenced by Arthur Schopenhauer. Mental and physical problems forced him to leave his posi¬ tion in 1878, and he spent 10 years attempting to recover his health in various resorts while continuing to write prolifically. His works from Human, All Too Human (1878) to The Gay Science (1882) extol reason and science, experiment with literary genres, and express his emancipa¬ tion from his earlier Romanticism. His mature writings, particularly Beyond Good and Evil (1886), A Genealogy of Morals (1887), and Thus Spake Zarathustra (1883-92), were preoccupied with the origin and func¬ tion of values in human life. If, as he believed, life neither possesses nor lacks intrinsic value and yet is always being evaluated, then such evalu¬ ations can usefully be read as symptoms of the evaluator’s condition. He fulminated against Christianity and announced the death of God. His major breakdown in 1889 marked the virtual end of his productive life. He was revered by Adolf Hitler for his dislike of democracy and his heroic ideal of the Ubermensch (Superman), though the Nazis perverted Nietzsche’s thought and ignored much in it that was hostile to their aims. His analyses of the root motives and values that underlie traditional West¬ ern religion, morality, and philosophy affected generations of theologians, philosophers, psychologists, poets, novelists, and playwrights.
Niger Vnl-jor, ne-'zher\ officially Republic of Niger Country, west¬ ern Africa, on the southern edge of the Sahara. Area: 459,286 sq mi (1,189,546 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 12,163,000. Capitaclass="underline" Niamey. More than half the people are Hausa; there are also Songhai-Zerma and Kanuri. Languages: French (official), Hausa, Arabic. Religions: Islam (predominantly Sunni); also traditional beliefs. Currency: CFA franc. A landlocked country, Niger is characterized by savanna in the south and desert in the centre and north; most of the population lives in the south. The Niger River dominates in the southwest and the Air Massif (a moun¬ tainous region) in the north-central part of the country. Niger has a devel¬ oping economy based largely on agriculture and mining. It is a republic with one legislative body; its head of state and government is the presi¬ dent, assisted by the prime minister. There is evidence of Neolithic cul¬ ture in the region, and there were several precolonial kingdoms. First explored by Europeans in the late 18th century, it became part of French West Africa in 1904. It became an overseas territory of France in 1946 and gained independence in 1960. The first multiparty elections were held in 1993. Ibrahim Bare Mainassara led a military coup in 1996, but after his assassination in 1999 the country returned to democratic government. See map above.
dialects of these languages number many
thousands more, not to mention the variant names for those languages and dialects. Niger-Congo languages are spoken by about 85% of the population of Africa, from Dakar, Senegal, in the west to Mombasa, Kenya, and in the east and south to Cape Town, S.Af. The name Niger- Congo was introduced in 1955 by Joseph H. Greenberg. As understood today, Niger-Congo has nine branches: Mande, Kordofanian, Atlantic (for¬ merly West Atlantic), Kru, Gur, Kwa, Ijoid, Adamawa-Ubangi (formerly Adamawa-Eastem), and Benue-Congo.
Niger River or Joliba \'jal-9-bo\ or Kworra \'kwor-9\ Principal river of western Africa. The third longest on the continent, it rises in Guinea near the Sierra Leone border and flows into Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea. It is 2,600 mi (4,183 sq km) long, and its middle course is navigable for about 1,000 mi (1,600 km). Peoples living along the Niger include the Bambara, the Malinke, and the Songhai. It was explored by Mungo Park beginning in 1796.
Nigeria officially Federal Republic of Nigeria Country, western Africa. Area: 356,669 sq mi (923,768 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 131,530,000. Capitaclass="underline" Abuja. There are more than 250 ethnic groups, including Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo. Languages: English (official), Hausa. Religions: Christianity (Protestant, other Christians, Roman Catholic), Islam, traditional beliefs. Currency: naira. Nigeria consists of plateaus and the lowlands between them, which are major river basins fed especially by the Niger River. It has a developing mixed economy based largely on petroleum production and agriculture; manufacturing is grow¬ ing in importance. Services, trade, and transportation employ more than two-fifths of the workforce. Nigeria is a federal republic with two legis¬ lative bodies; its head of state and government is the president. Inhabited for thousands of years, the region was the centre of the Nok culture from 500 bc to ad 200 and of several precolonial empires, including Kanem- Bornu, Benin, and Oyo. The Hausa and Fulani also had states. Visited in the 15th century by Europeans, it became a centre for the slave trade. The area began to come under British control in 1861 and was made a British colony in 1914. Nigeria gained independence in 1960 and became a republic in 1963, with Nnamdi Azikiwe as president. Ethnic strife soon led to military coups, and military groups ruled the country from 1966 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1999. Civil war between the federal government and the former Eastern Region, Biafra (1967-70), ended in Biafra’s surrender after the death by starvation of perhaps a million Biafrans. In 1991 the capital was moved from Lagos to Abuja. The government’s execution of
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Night of the Long Knives ► Nijinsky I 1363
Ken Saro-Wiwa in 1995 led to interna¬ tional sanctions, and civilian rule was finally reestablished in 1999. By far the most populous nation in Africa, Nigeria suffers from rapid population increase, political instability, foreign debt, slow economic growth, a high rate of violent crime, and rampant government corruption.
Night of the Long Knives (June 30, 1934) Purge of Nazi leaders by Adolf Hitler. Fearing that the paramilitary SA had become too powerful, Hitler ordered his elite SS guards to murder the organization’s leaders, including Ernst Rohm. Also killed that night were hundreds of other per¬ ceived opponents of Hitler, including Kurt von Schleicher and Gregor Strasser.
nighthawk Any of several species of North and South American birds in the whippoorwill family (Caprimulgidae) that are buff, reddish, or gray¬ ish brown, usually with light spots or patches, and 6-14 in. (15-35 cm) long. They fly about at night, especially at evening and dawn, catching flying insects in their mouths. The common nighthawk ( Chordeiles minor), or bullbat, inhabits most of North America, migrating to South America in winter. It is about 8-12 in. (20-30 cm) long and grayish brown, with a white throat and wing patches. It has a sharp nasal call. During courtship it dives swiftly, creating audible whirring sounds.