nightingale Any of several small Old World thrushes (family Turdi- dae) renowned for their song. The name refers in particular to the Eur¬ asian nightingale ( Erithacus mega- rhynchos), a brown bird, 6.5 in. (16 cm) long, with a rufous tail. It sings day and night from perches in shub- bery. Its strong and varied song, with prominent crescendo effects, has been regarded for centuries through¬ out Europe and Asia as the most beautiful of all birdsongs. The thrush nightingale, or sprosser ( E . luscinia), is a closely related, more northerly species with slightly darker plumage.
The term is also applied to other birds with rich songs (e.g., the wood THRUSH).
Nightingale, Florence (b. May 12, 1820, Florence, Italy—d. Aug. 13, 1910, London, Eng.) Italian-born British nurse, founder of trained nursing as a profession. As a volunteer nurse, she was put in charge of
Eurasian nightingale (Erithacus megarhynchos )
H. REINHARD-BRUCE COLEMAN INC.
nursing the military in Turkey during the Crimean War. Her first concern was sanitation: patients’ quarters were infested with rats and fleas, and the water allowance was one pint per head per day for all purposes. She used her own finances to purchase supplies. She also spent many hours in the wards; her night rounds giving personal care to the wounded estab¬ lished her image as the “Lady with the Lamp.” Her efforts to improve soldiers’ welfare led to the Army Medical School and a Sanitary Depart¬ ment in India. She started the first scientifically based nursing school, was instrumental in setting up training for midwives and nurses in workhouse infirmaries, and helped reform workhouses. She was the first woman awarded the Order of Merit (1907).
nightjar or goatsucker Any of about 60-70 species of birds (family Caprimulgidae) found almost worldwide in temperate to tropical regions. The name is sometimes applied to all birds in the order Caprimulgiformes. (The name goatsucker derives from an old belief that they sucked goat’s milk at night.) Nightjars are gray, brown, or reddish brown. They eat fly¬ ing insects at night. The common nightjar ( Caprimulgus europaeus ) has a flat head; wide, bristle-fringed mouth; large eyes; and soft plumage that results in noiseless flight. It is about 12 in. (30 cm) long. Its North Ameri¬ can relatives include the nighthawk and whippoorwill.
nightshade family Family Solanaceae, composed of at least 2,400 species of flowering plants in about 95 genera. Though found worldwide, the nightshades are most abundant in tropical Latin America. Many are economically important as food or medicinal plants. Among the most important are the potato, eggplant, tomato, garden pepper, tobacco, and many garden ornamentals, including the petunia. The medicinally signifi¬ cant nightshades are potent sources of such alkaloids as nicotine, atropine, and scopolamine; they include deadly nightshade (belladonna), jimson- weed ( Datura stramonium), henbane, and mandrake. The genus Solanum contains almost half the species in the family. The species usually called nightshade in North America and England is S. dulcamara, also called bittersweet and woody nightshade.
nihilism Vnl-o-.li-zom, 'ne-o-.li-zomX Any of various philosophical posi¬ tions that deny that there are objective foundations for human value sys¬ tems. In 19th-century Russia the term was applied to a philosophy of skepticism that opposed all forms of aestheticism and advocated utilitari¬ anism and scientific rationalism; it was popularized through the figure of Bazarov in Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons (1862). Rejecting the social sciences, classical philosophical systems, and the established social order, nihilism rejected the authority of the state, the church, and the family. It gradually became associated with political terror and degenerated into a philosophy of violence.
Nijinska Vno-'zhin-skoV, Bronislava orig. Bronislava Fominit- shna Nizhinskaya (b. Jan. 8,
1891, Minsk, Russia—d. Feb. 21,
1972, Pacific Palisades, Calif., U.S.)
Russian-born U.S. dancer, choreog¬ rapher, and teacher. She trained at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Peters¬ burg and joined the Mariinsky Theatre company in 1908. She danced with the Ballets Russes in Paris from 1909, as did her brother, Vaslav Nijinsky.
She choreographed several ballets for the company, including Les Noces (1923), The Blue Train (1924), and Les Biches (1924). Dur¬ ing the 1920s and 1930s she created works for other companies, includ¬ ing her own (1932—37). In 1938 she moved to Los Angeles, where she opened a school, and she continued to work as a guest choreographer into the early 1960s.
Nijinsky \n3-'zhin-ske\, Vaslav orig. Vatslav Fomich Nizhin-
sky (b. March 12, 1890, Kiev, Ukraine, Russian Empire—d. April 8, 1950, London, Eng.) Russian bal¬ let dancer. After early lessons from his parents, famous dancers with
Nijinsky in Spectre de la rose.
COURTESY OF THE DANCE COLLECTION, THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY AT LINCOLN CENTER, ROGER PRYOR DODGE COLLECTION
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their own company, he and his sister, Bronislava Nijinska, trained further in St. Petersburg, and he joined the Mariinsky Theatre company in 1907. With his spectacular leaps and unrivaled grace, he was an immediate suc¬ cess, dancing leading roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty, often with Anna Pavlova and Tamara Karsavina. In 1909 he joined the new Ballets Russes, and he created many roles in Michel Fokine’s ballets, includ¬ ing Carnaval, Les Sylphides, Le Spectre de la rose, Petrushka, and Daph- nis and Chloe. In 1912-13 he choreographed The Afternoon of a Faun, Jeux, and The Rite of Spring, all of which caused scandals. His marriage in 1913 led to his dismissal from the company by his mentor, Sergey Diaghilev. He continued to perform but with less success. His intensify¬ ing mental illness led to his retirement in 1919, and he lived mostly in mental institutions in Switzerland, France, and England until his death. His status as a legend is unequaled in the history of dance.
Nijmegen Vna-.ma-koV Treaties of (1678-79) Peace treaties that ended the Franco-Dutch War. In the treaty between France and the Dutch Republic, France agreed to return Maastricht and to suspend the anti- Dutch tariff of 1667. In the treaty between France and Spain, Spain gave up regions to France that gave it a protected northeastern border and secured the safety of Paris. By negotiating separate treaties, France gained advantages over its enemies in the war.
Nike Vnl-ke, 'ne-ka\ Greek goddess of victory. She was the daughter of the giant Pallas and the river Styx.
Nike was originally an attribute of both Athena and Zeus, represented as a small figure carried in their hand.
She gradually came to be recognized as a mediator between gods and mor¬ tals, and was frequently shown car¬ rying a palm branch, wreath, or staff as the messenger of victory. When depicted on her own, she was often a winged figure hovering over the victor in a competition. At Rome she was worshiped as Victoria.
Nike Inc. U.S. sportswear com¬ pany. It was founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman (b.
1911), a track-and-field coach at the University of Oregon, and his former student Phil Knight (b. 1938). They opened their first retail outlet in 1966, launched the Nike brand shoe in 1972, and renamed the company Nike Inc. in 1978. In 1979 it claimed 50% of the U.S. running shoe market. In 1980 the company went public. Part of Nike’s success is owed to endorsements by such athletes as John McEnroe, Michael Jordan, and Mia Hamm. In the 1990s the company suf¬ fered from revelations about conditions in its overseas factories, but it remained a top producer of athletic shoes and clothing.