Short answers, pulled from the story.
Frederick W. Smith founded Federal Express Corporation in Little Rock, Arkansas on the 23rd of April 1971. The company began formal operations two years later when Smith moved its headquarters to Memphis International Airport.
Lindon Leader designed the iconic FedEx logo in 1994 while working for Landor Associates in San Francisco. The design features a hidden right-pointing arrow in the negative space between the E and X letters to emphasize speed and precision.
FedEx acquired Caliber System Inc. in late 1997 which included subsidiaries like RPS and Viking Freight. In April 2015 the company paid €4.4 billion to buy TNT Express for European operations and purchased ShopRunner in December 2020.
Employee numbers increased from 138,100 in 2005 to 430,000 in 2024 according to reported data. This growth supports their operation of one of the largest civil aircraft fleets in the world with more than 210,000 motorized vehicles on the road today.
On the 17th of July 2014 FedEx was indicted for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances alongside the Chhabra-Smoley Organization and Superior Drugs. The U.S. Department of Justice alleged the company knowingly distributed drugs like Phendimetrazine and Ambien without legitimate medical needs.