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Welcome to Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.2,453,583 articles in EnglishArtsBiographyGeographyHistoryMathematicsScienceSocietyTechnologyAll portalsOverview · Editing · Questions · HelpContents · Categories · Featured content · A–Z indexToday’s featured articlePalpatine is a fictional character in George Lucas’ science fiction saga Star Wars. The character, portrayed by actor Ian McDiarmid in the feature films, is the main antagonist of the saga; introduced in the original trilogy as the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, an aged, cowled and pale-faced figure, who rises to power in the prequel trilogy through deception and treachery as a middle-aged politician of the Republic. In reality, he is Darth Sidious, a Dark Lord of the Sith who initiates and manipulates the Clone Wars to destroy the Jedi and usher in the totalitarian Galactic Empire. Briefly mentioned by Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), Lucas’ original scripts of Star Wars characterize the Emperor as a cunning but weak politician under the control of powerful bureaucrats. However, in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the prequels, and Star Wars literature, the character is depicted as the personification of evil and heavy-handed authoritarianism. Palpatine was incorporated into the Star Wars merchandising campaigns that corresponded with the theatrical release of Return of the Jedi and the prequel films. The character has since become a symbol of evil and sinister deception in popular culture, particularly in the United States. (more…)Recently featured: Genetics – To Kill a Mockingbird – R.E.M.Archive – By email – More featured articles…Did you know…From Wikipedia’s newest articles:… that the keepers of the Elbow of Cross Ledge Light (pictured) slept in life jackets for fear of the lighthouse being struck by passing ships?… that Korean writer Park Kyung-ni spent 25 years writing the 16-volume epic novel Land, which has been included in the UNESCO Collection of Representative Works?… that the largest sports research library in North America is located on the grounds of LA’s Britt House, a Colonial Revival mansion built in 1910?… that the Type 77 semi-automatic pistol is a common side arm used in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army?… that according to X-ray analysis, William Hogarth’s painting Hogarth Painting the Comic Muse originally had a dog relieving himself on a pile of old master paintings?… that after capturing Amba Aradam during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, the Italians bombed the fleeing Ethiopian soldiers with mustard gas?… that the red-purple coloured inedible mushroom Russula sardonia has a hot peppery taste?Archive – Start a new article…In the newsAs the subprime mortgage crisis continues, IndyMac Bank is placed into conservatorship by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in one of the largest banking failures in United States history.Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie (pictured) is awarded The Best of the Booker, as the best novel to have won a Man Booker Prize in the first 40 years of its existence.Three members of the Turkish police force are killed during an armed attack on the United States consulate in Istanbul, with three attackers also dead.India submits its nuclear safeguards agreement to the International Atomic Energy Agency to implement the Indo-US nuclear deal.In Grenada, Tillman Thomas succeeds Keith Mitchell as the new Prime Minister following the National Democratic Congress’ win in the general elections.Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events…On this day…July 13: National Day of Commemoration in Ireland (2008)1772 – Under the command of explorer James Cook, HMS Resolution set sail from Plymouth, England.1793 – Jean-Paul Marat (pictured), a leader in the French Revolution, was murdered in his bathtub by Charlotte Corday.1863 – Three days of rioting began in New York City by opponents of new laws passed by the United States Congress to draft men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War.1878 – The major powers in Europe signed the Treaty of Berlin, redrawing the map of the Balkans.1985 – Live Aid rock music concerts, organised by singers Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia, were held at Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia.More events: July 12 – July 13 – July 14Archive – By email – More anniversaries…It is now 13:55, July 13, 2008 (UTC) – Refresh this pageToday’s featured pictureThe Chandos portrait is a famous painting believed to depict William Shakespeare, and is named after James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, who owned the portrait. It has not been possible to solve the question of who painted the portrait or whether it really depicts Shakespeare. However, in 2006 the National Portrait Gallery in London concluded that the Chandos portrait was the most likely to be a representation of Shakespeare.Artist: Attributed to John TaylorRecently featured: New Synagogue – Computed tomography – Hoverfly posterArchive – More featured pictures…