Nimitz Vni-mitsV Chester W(illiam) (b. Feb. 24, 1885, Fredericks¬ burg, Texas, U.S.—d. Feb. 20, 1966, near San Francisco, Calif.) U.S. naval officer. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1905 and served in World War I with the U.S. Atlantic submarine force. He rose to become chief of the navy’s bureau of navigation in 1939. After the Japa¬ nese attack on Pearl Harbor, he was made commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific fleet, which won the battles of Midway and the Coral Sea (1942). In succeeding years, the historic battles of the Solomon Islands (1942- 43), the Gilbert Islands (1943), and Iwo Jima and Okinawa (1945) were fought under his direction. The Japanese surrender was signed aboard his flagship, the USS Missouri. From 1945 to 1947 he served as chief of naval operations.
Nimrud See Calah
Nin Vnen, ‘ninV, AnaVs (b. Feb. 21, 1903, Neuilly, France—d. Jan. 14, 1977, Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.) French-born U.S. author. Daughter of the Cuban composer Joaquin Nin (1878-1949), she began her literary career in Paris in 1932. In the 1940s she moved to New York, where she pub¬ lished novels and short stories at her own expense. Her writing, includ¬ ing the novel Cities of the Interior, 5 vol. (1959), shows the influence of Surrealism and psychoanalysis. She won late recognition in 1966 with the publication of the first volume of her personal diaries; seven more vol¬ umes followed. Her account of her long incestuous relationship with her father was published posthumously.
Nina, La See La Nina
9-11 attacks See September 11 attacks
Ninety-five Theses Propositions for debate on the question of indul¬ gences, written by Martin Luther and, according to legend, posted on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Ger., on Oct. 31, 1517. This event is now seen as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The theses were written in response to the selling of indulgences to pay for the rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. They represented an implicit
criticism of papal policy and stressed the spiritual, inward character of the Christian faith. Widely circulated, they aroused much controversy. In 1518 Luther published a Latin manuscript with explanations of the theses.
Nineveh Vni-no-vaV Oldest and most populous city of ancient Assyria, on the eastern bank of the Tigris River opposite modern Mosul, Iraq. Its greatest development was under Sennacherib and Ashurbanipal in the 7th century bc. It was captured and destroyed by Nabopolassar of Babylonia and his allies, the Scythians and Medes, in 612 bc. Excavations made in 1845-51 revealed palaces, a library, city walls, and many gates and build¬ ings.
Ningxia or Ningsia Vniq-'shya\ in full Hui Autonomous Region of Ningxia Autonomous region (pop., 2002 est.: 5,720,000), northern China. It is bounded by Shaanxi and Gansu provinces and Inner Mongo¬ lia autonomous region and has an area of 25,600 sq mi (66,400 sq km). China’s Great Wall runs along its northeastern boundary. The capital is Yinchuan. It is nearly coextensive with the ancient kingdom of the Tan- gut people, whose capital was captured by Genghis Khan in the early 13th century. The region is mostly desert and is sparsely settled, but the vast plain of the Huang He (Yellow River) in the north has been irrigated for centuries; over the years many canals have been built.
Ninhursag \nin-'kur-,sag\ In Mesopotamian religion, the city goddess of Adab and of Kish. Worshiped especially by the herders of northern Meso¬ potamia, she was the goddess of the stony, rocky ground, and she had the power to produce wildlife in the foothills and in the desert. A mother fig¬ ure, she was the goddess of birth; she also appeared as a sorrowing mother in her lament for her son, a young colt. Her husband was the god Shul- pae, and among their children was Mululil, a dying god whose death was mourned in yearly rites.
Nino, El See El Nino
Ninsun \'nin-,sun\ In Mesopotamian religion, the city goddess of Kullab. Worshiped especially by herders in southern Mesopotamia, she was origi¬ nally represented as a cow and was considered to be the divine power behind all the qualities that herders wanted in their cattle. She was also represented in human form and could give birth to human offspring. Her son was the wild bull Dumuzi, whom she lamented in a yearly ritual, and her husband was the legendary hero Lugalbanda. Her Sumerian counter¬ parts included Ninhursag.
Ninurta \ni-'nur-ta\ In Mesopotamian religion, the city god of Girsu. The son of Enlil and Ninlil, he was the god of thunder and of the spring rains and floods as well as the god of the plow. His original name was Imdu- gud (“Raincloud”), and his earliest form was that of the thundercloud rep¬ resented as an enormous black bird roaring its thunder cry from a lion’s head. Eventually Ninurta was given human form, and his original shape was assigned to his ancient enemy. His festival marked the beginning of the plowing season.
Niobe \nI-'o-be\ In Greek mythology, the prototype of the bereaved mother. The daughter of Tantalus, she married King Amphion of Thebes and bore him six sons and six daughters. She made the mistake of boast¬ ing of her fertility to the Titaness Leto, who had only two children, Apollo and Artemis. As punishment for her pride, Apollo killed all of Niobe’ s sons and Artemis all her daughters. Niobe was so overwhelmed with grief that the gods turned her into a rock on Mount Sipylus (near modern Izmir,
Turkey), which weeps endlessly as the snow above it melts.
Niobid \nI-'o-bid\ Painter (fl. c.
475-450 bc, Greece) Greek vase painter, named for a calyx krater showing the death of the children of Niobe. Because the Niobid Painter made a deliberate effort to express space and depth by arranging figures on different levels, the vessel is thought to reflect the innovative technique of the now lost mural paintings of Polygnotus.
Niobrara \,m-3-'brar-9\ River River, Wyoming and Nebraska, U.S.
Flowing east across Wyoming’s high
City (pop., 1999: 133,424), south-
Tour Magne, a ruined Roman tower, NTmes, Fr.
ART RESOURCE-EB INC.
Apollo and Artemis killing the children of Niobe, red-figure calyx krater by the Niobid Painter, c. 455-450 bc; in the Louvre, Paris.
CLICHE MUSEES NATIONAUX, PARIS
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© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
1366 I Nipigon ► nitrogen
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plains and Nebraska’s sandhills and low plains, it joins the Missouri River at the village of Niobrara, Neb., at the South Dakota line. It is 431 mi (694 km) long. The Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is located on the river, north of Scottsbluff, Neb.
Nipigon Vni-pi-.ganV, Lake Lake, Ontario, Canada. Located north of Lake Superior and northeast of Thunder Bay, it is about 70 mi (110 km) long and 50 mi (80 km) wide and has an area of 1,870 sq mi (4,840 sq km). It lies at an elevation of 1,050 ft (320 m) and has a maximum depth of 540 ft (165 m). Its Indian name means “deep, clear water.” It is stud¬ ded with many wooded islands, and large bays characterize its shoreline. Its outlet is the Nipigon River, which flows into Lake Superior.
Nipissing Vni-pa-.siqV Lake Lake, southeastern Ontario, Canada. Located midway between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay, it is 50 mi (80 km) long and 30 mi (48 km) wide, with an area of 321 sq mi (832 sq km). A remnant of glacial Lake Algonquin, it contains many islands. The French River drains the lake as it flows west into Georgian Bay. It was discovered by Etienne Brule c. 1610 and was later a fur-trading route linking the Ottawa River with the upper Great Lakes.
Nissan Yne-'san\ Motor Co., Ltd. Japanese automaker. Headquar¬ tered in Tokyo, Nissan manufactures cars, trucks, and commercial equip¬ ment. Formed from the merger of two smaller firms in 1925, it adopted its present name in 1934. In World War II the company produced mili¬ tary vehicles; seized by Allied forces in 1945, it did not return to full pro¬ duction until 1955. Nissan’s sales grew rapidly after it entered the world market in the 1960s, and it established assembly plants in several coun¬ tries, including Australia, Germany, Mexico, and the U.S. In 1999 the French automaker Renault bought a 37% stake in the company and later increased its share.