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Sketch of Capote. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the artist © Barnaby Conrad

In postwar America, there was once a time when a writer could be a superstar. In the late 1960s, author Truman Capote had reached the pinnacle of the jet set, lunching with New York socialites and throwing a masquerade ball that many called the social event of the sixties. Capote’s crossover fame is scarcely rivaled by any celebrity today, according to Amy Henderson, a historian at the National Portrait Gallery. “In television there were three networks, people watched the same stuff, they saw the same movies. It was a different time. Everything is now so much more fragmented that it’s hard to find one person who bridges all those segments,” she says.

“He was in the magazines, on the TV, in the newspapers’ social columns. He was a creature of the moment,” says Henderson.

Eventually, though, it would all come crashing down for Capote. After struggling through depression, alcoholism and drug abuse, he died at the age of 59 on this day in 1984.

Capote’s thirst for fame and motivation to write both stemmed, in part, from his essential oddness. “He was only 5′ 3″, he was a little elfin creature. But he was very amusing, and he liked being that social butterfly,” Henderson says. He discovered his ambition to be a writer as a child, and worked diligently at developing his craft from the age of 11. “He said that, where other kids would go home and practice the violin or piano, or play ball, he would come home from school and write for about three hours,” says Henderson. “I am guessing that he was so different from other kids that it was an escape mechanism for him.”

As a writer of short stories, his timing couldn’t have been better. “It was the heyday of short fiction, and that was a wonderful coming together of his real talent and the time,” Henderson says. After having several short stories published, he got a contract to write his first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms, and its arrival triggered an uproar. “That created a sensation, partly because of the content—the prose was great, but he also frankly talked about homosexuality,” says Henderson. “And then there was this amazing photograph of him on the back cover: it’s Truman on the sofa, like a little doe, looking right in the camera.”

Afterward, Capote continued his ascent by writing theater, non-fiction and the novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which he eventually adapted into a film starring Audrey Hepburn. But he was truly catapulted into pop culture’s center stage with the publication of In Cold Blood, his “non-fiction novel.” After being inspired by a brief New York Times article about a murder in Kansas, he unexpectedly decided to move to the small town of Holcomb and write about the story. He was joined by Harper Lee, his childhood friend and author of To Kill A Mockingbird, who served as his research assistant and was crucial in building relationships with the locals. “Out there in the wheat fields, someone like Truman Capote, coming with his full length fluffy mink coat and his long cigarette holder, he’s not going to be instantly acceptable,” Henderson says.

In Cold Blood was both an innovative creation and a massive mainstream success. He was at the forefront of the New Journalism movement, in which authors experimented with many of the customs of journalism to create compelling narratives from real-life events. Capote reported the story truthfully, but also embellished it by creating atmosphere and speculating on characters’ emotions. Although this drew criticism from some, it generated massive sales and provoked admiration from many in the reporting business. “My dad was a reporter,” Henderson says, “and I remember him reading this book and being wowed by it.”

After the book’s success, Capote concentrated on enjoying his celebrity rather than producing literature. “The social high point of his life was the November 1966 ball he threw for Katharine Graham in New York, the Black and White Ball,” says Henderson. “Everybody came wearing masks. It was the social event of the sixties.” But Capote’s instinct for writing the story sabotaged his elite status. After working for years on a memoir he called Answered Prayers, published excerpts showed that he revealed intimate secrets about many of his high-society friends. Henderson says, “He published part of this tell-all memoir in 1975, and most everyone slammed the door on him. So his social outlets and all of his wonderful connections were gone.

Finding himself in the same position he’d been in as a child, so many years earlier—a social outcast, on the outside, looking in—his already-present dependence on alcohol and drugs was exacerbated. A 1989 play called Tru depicts Capote’s final days. “He’s all alone now, in his United Nations Plaza apartment, his wonderful luxe apartment, and nobody will speak to him,” Henderson says.”He’s alone there with his pills, his vodka, his cocaine and chocolate truffles.” As his health problems were complicated by his drug habits, he sank ever deeper into depression. On August 25th, 1984, he died of liver cancer at the age of 59.

Despite the tragedy of his end, Capote largely achieved his chief goal in life. “He didn’t seem to want to be known as the greatest writer of mid-twentieth century,” says Henderson. “I didn’t see anything in what I read that said that was his mission. What he really wanted to be a famous celebrity.”

Big Bird and the gang star in "One World, One Sky" at the planetarium. Photo courtesy Air and Space museum

Friday, August 26 One World, One Sky

Bring your child to the planetarium for a show guaranteed to please. In “One World, One Sky,” Big Bird, Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu (a character from Zhima Jie, the short-lived Chinese incarnation of Sesame Street) travel from Sesame Street to the moon and learn all about the night sky. The excitement of learning about the moon and the show’s opportunities for audience interaction make this a great family-friendly event to start off your Friday. Free, tickets available at planetarium box office. Air and Space Museum, 10:30 AM.

Saturday, August 27 American Sabor

This Saturday, the Smithsonian Latino Center and Latino Public Broadcasting present a pair of documentaries about Latin music as part of the American Sabor series. Accordion Dreams, by Hector Galán, explores conjunto, the unique musical tradition that originated in the 19th century among the Mexican American community and is increasingly popular worldwide. Lalo Guerrero: The Original Chicano, by Dan Guerrero and Nancy De Los Santos, celebrates Lalo Guerrero, whose influential life and career have affected the contemporary history of Mexican Americans significantly. Free, doors open 30 minutes before first film starts. Ripley Center. 2 to 4 p.m.

Sunday, August 28 Glory Days

After a childhood in wartime Germany and a decorated career in the Air Force, Col. Wolfgang Samuel has written memoirs, oral history, and aviation history. Come to meet the author as he signs copies of his books Glory Days, Watson’s Whizzers, American Raiders, The War of Our Childhood, German Boy, and I Always Wanted to Fly. Free. The event is at the Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Dulles, Virginia. Noon.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions, visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

1976 NFL metal lunchbox. Photo courtesy American History Museum

The NFL’s lockout is over, the preseason is in full swing, and the regular season is set to kick off on September 8th. As we celebrate the return of football to America’s stadiums and airwaves, it seems timely to point out that one of the country’s greatest stores of football artifacts is held within the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. From relics of the sport’s dawn to modern-era tchotchkes, trace the evolution of the game via this unique collection.

Photos from early Princeton team: The early 1900s were an era in which football’s rules were still being debated and the game was just entering the national consciousness. This grainy set of photos shows Princeton’s team trying out the newly invented forward pass, among other innovations, in leather helmets and striped sweaters.

Red Grange etching: Grange was one of the game’s first superstars. At a time when the NFL lacked the credibility of college football, Grange’s 1925 signing with the Chicago Bears helped solidify the floundering league–and the crowds that gathered to watch him play may have well saved several franchises. This 1928 etching by Henry Farre shows “The Galloping Ghost” emerging from a scrum and running towards the end zone at Soldier Field.

William Zorach Sculpture: Zorach, a Lithuanian-born sculptor, was renowned for bringing European avant-garde concepts to American modernism. In 1931, he turned his eye towards the gridiron, creating this sleek lineman on one knee, now part of the American Art Museum’s collection.

Ivory Soap Giveaway: Back in 1935, before football had become the national obsession it is today, NFL tickets were freebies and given away with soap. This Proctor & Gamble newspaper ad details how fans can get a free admission to see the Philadelphia Eagles play the Brooklyn Dodgers (there was a football team too) with the purchase of four bars of soap. The copy reads, “Cheer on your team! Tire yourself out! Come home and dive into an exhilarating Ivory bath.”

Joe Namath's Professional Yo-Yo. Photo courtesy American History Museum

Joe Namath Yo-Yo: Not many professional athletes make it on to a Yo-Yo. But there are few figures who deserve it more than Namath. Most famous for his prophetic guarantee that his Jets would upset the Colts in Super Bowl III, “Broadway Joe” was one of the NFL’s first crossover stars, hawking pantyhose in commercials, popularizing the glamorous sideline fur coat look, and starring in several films and TV shows.

Roger Staubach Jersey: In 1973, fresh off their first Super Bowl win, the Dallas Cowboys were just coming to national prominence and would soon be known as “America’s Team.” Because of the supposed Cowboys curse–many believed they were unable to win while wearing their navy blue jerseys–Staubach wore a white #12 jersey for most of the season, leading the team to a 10-4 record.

NFL Lunchbox: The 1970s were a time of lunchboxes, and the box of choice for any school-going football fan was surely this one. With the NFC teams’ helmets arranged in formation on the front and the AFC’s on the back, the tote is simply a testament to old school face masks and nonpartisan fandom. Go football!

Super Bowl XIV Ball: In the waning days of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 70s dynasty, Terry Bradshaw took home his second consecutive Super Bowl MVP as his team defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 with this ball. Held at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, the game still holds the record for Super Bowl attendance, with 103,985 fans packed into the stadium.

Jerry Smith AIDS Awareness Trading Card: As recently mentioned on the Around the Mall blog, the American History Museum is home to a set of trading cards produced in the early 90s to raise awareness of AIDS. Smith, a standout Redskins tight end during the 60s and 70s, became the first former pro athlete to succumb to AIDS when he passed away in 1986.

Monday Night Football Stamp: In 1999, as part of its “Celebrate the Century” series, the USPS paid homage to Monday Night Football’s impact on American culture with this commemorative stamp. At 33 cents, it can’t mail a letter anymore, but it does make for a nice tribute to ABC’s innovative decision in establishing this football institution.

Brett Favre Portrait: In 2001, before his scandals and serial unretirements, Favre was simply a quarterback at the top of his game. After posing for this unusual Rick Chapman photo, he went on to set nearly every career passing record, play in 297 straight games, and become one of the sport’s most iconic players.

The Smithsonian Castle Building is closed today, however all museums and the National Zoo are open. Photo by Eric Long

The Smithsonian Institution announced that all museums and the National Zoo would be open today. The Castle, however, which sustained some damage in yesterday’s earthquake, will be closed until further notice.

The Castle did have some damage, according to Smithsonian officials, mostly cracked plaster, windows and there some issues with some of the door frames.

Also of concern are the stability of some of the turrets in the Smithsonian’s original home, a Medieval Revival building designed by James Renwick Jr, and completed in 1855. The Castle building’s nine towers, battlements and chimneys have become the iconic symbol of the Smithsonian Institution.

Structural engineers today are assessing the building.

Other historical buildings that house Smithsonian museums, including the Old Patent Office building at 8th and F streets, NW, home to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, and the Renwick Gallery at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue suffered no damages.

The Renwick is a Second Empire-style building and was designed by architect James Renwick Jr. in 1859 and completed in 1874. Today, it is a National Historic Landmark. The Old Patent Office building is considered one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United States. Begun in 1836 and completed in 1868, it was the site of Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural ball in March 1865.

At the Natural History museum, spokesperson Kelly Carnes reports that several exhibitions—the Dinosaur Hall and portions of the Gems and Minerals Halls—will be closed off to the public while collections managers and curators assess any damages. The museum, housed in a 1910 Beaux Arts building, however, is open today.

At the National Zoo, many resident animals acted as warning bells for the quake, showing changes in behavior shortly before it struck. Gorillas, orangutans and lemurs sounded alarm calls seconds beforehand, while the flock of 64 flamingos huddled together in preparation. During the shaking, snakes, tigers, beavers and deer, among others, appeared disturbed and interrupted their normal activities.

More updates to come throughout the day, as curators, engineers and archivists inspect the collections and exhibits

Photos of damage caused to the Smithsonian by the earthquake.

All museums are closed today, after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake. Photo by Eric Long

After a 5.9 earthquake that rocked the National Mall this afternoon and was felt all along the Eastern seaboard, according to the Washington Post, the Smithsonian Institution museums are closed for the remainder of the day.

“The museum is closed for the rest of the day,” said Valeska Hilbig, spokesperson for the National Museum of American History. “As for tomorrow, we recommend that visitors check websites and Facebook pages for reopening information. This afternoon, collections managers are checking on the safety of the objects.”

According to NPR, the Smithsonian Castle building sustained some damage. Secretary G. Wayne Clough, who is also an engineer, told NPR that he had seen “cracking inside the building and some of the windows had shattered.”

The Castle, the Smithsonian Institution’s original home and now the location of many administrative offices, is a Medieval Revival building designed by James Renwick Jr. and was completed in 1855.