Waterford Crystal's History Made Clear

Glass master Miroslav Havel (pictured at right, holding a cat that may or may not be made out of glass), the longtime chief designer of Waterford Crystal, died earlier this month in Waterford, Ireland at the age of 86. Today’s New York Times obituary of Havel provides a fascinating glimpse into how in 1947 a pair of Czech immigrants (Havel and Karel Bacik) brought back to life an Irish crystal manufacturing business founded in 1783 (and defunct since 1851).