Nurhachi \'nur-'ha-che\ (b. 1559, Manchuria—d. Sept. 30, 1626) Chief¬ tain of one branch of the Juchen (later called Manchu), whose attack on China in 1618 presaged his son Dorgon’s conquest. Nurhachi first defeated a rival in his own tribe and then subdued the other four Juchen
Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn
KEYSTONE
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
NOrT al-Sa'id ► nut I 1389
tribes in his immediate area. During this time, he also established a Man- chu state and enlisted the scholar Erdeni to create a Manchu writing sys¬ tem. He organized his troops under the Banner system. In 1616 Nurhachi proclaimed himself khan and called his dynasty Jin, harking back to the Juchen Jin dynasty of the 12th century. In 1626 he was defeated by the Chinese and died of battle wounds. See also Hongtaui; Qing dynasty.
Nurl al-Sa'id \,nur-e-al-sa-'ed\ (b. 1888, Baghdad, Iraq—d. July 14, 1958, Baghdad) Iraqi soldier and longtime prime minister of Iraq. He entered the army in 1909, when Iraq was a province of the Ottoman Empire. Captured by the British during World War 1(1914-18), he joined a British- backed Arab revolt against the Ottomans. After the war he joined the Iraqi government under the Hashimite king Faysal I. Prime minister on 14 dif¬ ferent occasions, he was pro-British and supported the monarchy. In 1958 he supported a union with Jordan that was strongly opposed by the mili¬ tary. He was killed in the coup that followed.
Nurmi, Paavo (Johannes) (b. June 13, 1897, Turku, Fin.—d. Oct. 2, 1973, Helsinki) Finnish track ath¬ lete. The outstanding long-distance runner of his generation, he captured nine gold medals and three silver in three Olympic Games (1920, 1924,
1928), setting two records at the 1924 games in a little over an hour.
He held the world record for the mile run for eight years (1923-31). For his prowess he was nicknamed “the Flying Finn.”
Nurnberg YniEm-.berkX also known as Nuremberg City (pop.,
2002 est.: city, 491,307; metro, area,
1,018,211), Bavaria, southern Ger¬ many, on the Pegnitz River. It grew up around a castle in the 11th cen¬ tury, and in 1219 it received its first charter. It became one of the greatest of the German free imperial cities, reaching the height of its power in the 16th century. In 1806 it became part of the kingdom of Bavaria. In the 1930s it was a centre of the Nazi P Qavo Nurmi, 1931.
Party; the site of the Nazis’ annual _ _
NOrnberg Ralues, in 1935 it gave its
name to the anti-Semitic NOrnberg Laws. It was severely damaged in World War II. After the war it was the scene of the NOrnberg trials. The city was rebuilt and is now a commercial and manufacturing centre. Niirn- berg’s historic sites include the 11th-century royal palace. Its Academy of Arts (founded 1662) is the oldest in Germany. The city was the birth¬ place of Albrecht Durer.
Nurnberg Laws (1935) Two measures designed by Adolf Hitler and approved by a Nazi Party convention at Nurnberg, Ger., on Sept. 15, 1935. The laws deprived Jews of German citizenship and forbade marriage or sexual relations between Jews and “citizens of German or cognate blood.” Supplementary decrees defined a Jew as a person with at least one Jew¬ ish grandparent and declared that Jews could not vote or hold public office.
Nurnberg Rallies Massive rallies held by the Nazi Party in Nurnberg, Ger., to showcase its power. After smaller rallies at party conventions in 1923 and 1927, the first large-scale rally was held in 1929 and featured the nationalistic pageantry that marked subsequent annual rallies (1933— 38). Attended by hundreds of thousands of Nazis, the rallies were care¬ fully staged to reinforce party enthusiasm with martial songs, massed banners and flags, goose-step marches, torchlight processions, and lengthy orations by Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders.
Nurnberg trials (1945—46) Trials of former Nazi Party leaders held in Nurnberg, Ger. At the end of World War II, the International Military Tri¬ bunal was established by the U.S., Britain, France, and the Soviet Union to indict and try former Nazis as war criminals. The tribunal defined the offenses as crimes against peace (planning and waging of war in viola¬ tion of treaties), crimes against humanity (extermination, deportation, and genocide), and war crimes. After 216 court sessions, 3 of the original 22 defendants were acquitted, 4 (including Karl Donitz and Albert Speer) were sentenced to prison for terms of 10 to 20 years, 3 (including Rudolf Hess)
were sentenced to life imprisonment, and 12 (including Wilhelm Keitel, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Alfred Rosenberg, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, and Julius Streicher) were sentenced to death by hanging. Hermann Goring commit¬ ted suicide before he could be executed, and Martin Bormann was con¬ victed in absentia.
Nurse, Sir Paul M. (b. Jan. 25, 1949, Norwich, Norfolk, Eng.) Brit¬ ish scientist. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of East Anglia in 1973 and was a professor at the University of Oxford from 1987 to 1993. In 1996 he was named director general of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (now Cancer Research UK). In the mid-1970s he conducted research on yeast and discovered the gene that regulates different phases of the cell cycle. He later found the corresponding gene in humans. His work aided in the understanding of cancer cell development. Nurse shared a Nobel Prize with R. Timothy Hunt and Leland H. Hartwell in 2001.
nurse shark Only Atlantic species ( Ginglymostoma cirratum ) of 25 carpet shark species (family Orectolobidae). Yellow- or gray-brown, sometimes with dark spots, it may grow to over 13 ft (4 m) long. It may attack swimmers, especially when provoked, but is not related to the dan¬ gerous gray nurse ( Odontaspis arenarius ), a sand shark.
nursery Place where plants are grown for transplanting, for use as stocks for budding and grafting, or for sale. Nurseries produce and dis¬ tribute woody and herbaceous plants, including ornamental trees, shrubs, and bulb crops. While most nursery-grown plants are ornamental, the nursery business also includes fruit plants and certain perennial vegetables used in home gardens (e.g., asparagus, rhubarb). See also floriculture.
nursery rhyme Verse customarily told or sung to small children. Though the oral tradition of nursery rhymes is ancient, the largest num¬ ber date from the 16th, 17th, and (most frequently) 18th centuries. Appar¬ ently most rhymes were originally composed for adults, many as popular ballads and songs. The earliest known published collection is Tommy Thumb’s (Pretty) Song Book (1744), including “Little Tom Tucker,” “Sing a Song of Sixpence,” and “Who Killed Cock Robin?” The most influen¬ tial collection was Mother Goose’s Melody (1781), including “Jack and Jill,” “Ding Dong Bell,” and “Hush-a-bye Baby on the Tree Top.”
nursing Health-care profession providing physical and emotional care to the sick and disabled and promoting health in all individuals through activities including research, health education, and patient consultation. Nursing gained recognition in the 19th century with the activities of Flo¬ rence Nightingale. Many nurses have specialties (e.g., psychiatry, critical care). Nurse-practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse-anesthetists, and nurse-midwives undertake tasks traditionally performed by physi¬ cians. Nursing degrees go as high as the doctorate, and staff positions include administration. In addition to health-care settings, nurses practice in schools, the military, industry, and private homes. Community (public health) nurses educate the public on topics such as nutrition and disease prevention.
nursing home Facility for care (usually long-term) of patients who are not sick enough to need hospital care but are not able to remain at home. Historically, most residents were elderly or ill or had chronic irre¬ versible and disabling disorders, and medical and nursing care was mini¬ mal. Today nursing homes have a more active role in health care, helping patients prepare to live at home or with a family member when possible. They help conserve expensive hospital facilities for the acutely ill and improve the prospects of the chronically disabled. However, quality of care varies widely, and the potential for abuse exists.