The drawing of glass into fine filaments is an ancient technology, older than the technology of glass blowing. Winding coarse glass fibers onto a clay mandrel was used as an early manufacturing route for a vessel. With the advent of glass blowing, similar fiber technologies were used to decorate goblets. In the 1700s, R aumur recognized that glass could be finely spun into fiber that was sufficiently pliable to be woven into textiles. Napoleon's funeral...