Nathaniel Wyeth; Invented Plastic Soda Bottle

Nathaniel Wyeth, 78, who invented the plastic soda bottle. The brother of artist Andrew Wyeth and son of artist N.C. Wyeth, he chose science for his career. He invented 25 processes and products in the more than 40 years he worked for Du Pont Co. Wyeth’s most famous invention was the bottle he patented in 1973 made of a kind of polyester called polyethylene terephthalate or PET. It was the first plastic container capable of holding carbonated beverages without either ballooning up like a basketball or letting the soda go flat, and soon became a familiar household item. On Wednesday in St. George, Me., of undisclosed causes.