FedEx Fun Facts: Global Company with Interesting Beginnings

When you need to send an important package quickly, chances are you turn to FedEx. FedEx has become a leading provider of shipping services worldwide and is recognized as a trusted brand. You may think you know all you need to about FedEx, but here are a few fun facts about the company.

FedEx Fun Fact # 1: FedEx started as an idea for a college term paper.

Frederick W. Smith wrote a term paper at Yale University in 1965 about economically inadequate passenger route systems used by most airfreight shippers. He wrote about the need for shippers to develop a system designed specifically for time-sensitive airfreight, a system he would later develop into FedEx.

FedEx Fun Fact # 2: FedEx began in the 1970s with 186 packages.

Smith began Federal Express in 1971 when he bought Arkansas Aviation Sales. The company was incorporated in June 1971 and began operating from Memphis on April 17, 1973. The company began with just 14 small aircrafts delivering 186 packages.

FedEx Fun Fact # 3: FedEx is short for Federal Express.

FedEx is now a household name but the company didn't begin with that name. It started as Federal Express. Smith chose the word "federal" because of its patriotic meaning, suggesting the nationwide economic activity that the company would pursue. The switch to the shortened name came in 1994 after years of customers referring to the company with the abbreviated name. The official name of the original company is FedEx Express.

FedEx Fun Fact # 4: FedEx is actually a network of many different companies.

FedEx, led by FedEx Corporation, is a network of several companies that work together to provide the FedEx service. These companies all include FedEx in the name: FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, FedEx Custom Critical, FedEx Trade Networks, FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Services and FedEx Services. Through these companies FedEx offers everything from delivery to printing services.

FedEx Fun Fact # 5: FedEx headquarters is in Memphis, Tennessee.

The company operates out of Memphis, a geographical center for the cities the company originally targeted. The city was also chosen for its temperate weather that rarely closes Memphis International Airport. Memphis turned out to be a good choice for allowing future company growth and improvements.

FedEx Fun Fact # 6: FedEx Express handles more than 5 million packages daily.

FedEx Express, handling 3.2 million packages daily, is the largest operating company within the FedEx family. FedEx Ground, the small-package ground carrier, ships more than 2.6 million packages a day. Together these companies ship over 5 million packages to customers throughout the world. FedEx has grown a lot from the first 186 packages.