Business · 1

FedEx was founded to operationalize a business concept its founder had previously dismissed in writing. In what decade was FedEx founded?

Answer

1970s

Fred Smith founded Federal Express in 1971 and launched operations in 1973, making the 1970s the founding decade. The company's hub-and-spoke overnight delivery model eventually transformed global logistics despite Smith's own earlier skepticism.

💡 Did you know?

FedEx founder Fred Smith wrote a paper predicting overnight delivery would fail, then built the company anyway to prove himself wrong.

Other options people guess

  • 1950s
  • 1960s
  • 1980s

Topics

  • fedex
  • business-history
  • logistics
  • 1970s

Know your business trivia?

Play a free Business quiz and see how many you get right — no signup needed to start.

More Business facts

Business

What did FedEx founder Fred Smith do before launching the company that contradicted his own academic predictions?

FedEx founder Fred Smith wrote a paper predicting overnight delivery would fail, then built the company anyway to prove himself wrong.

Business

Which company developed the graphical user interface and mouse at its PARC research lab in the 1970s but failed to commercialize the technology?

Xerox invented the graphical user interface and mouse in the 1970s but never commercialized them. Apple and Microsoft later made billions from the same technology.

Business

What kind of business arrangement did Ray Kroc secure with the McDonald brothers in 1954, rather than buying their restaurant outright?

McDonald's founder Ray Kroc was 52 years old, working as a milkshake machine salesman, when he discovered the McDonald brothers' restaurant and bought the franchise rights.

Business

Which country's government commissioned the 'People's Car' project that gave rise to Volkswagen and its logo?

Volkswagen's VW logo was originally designed under Nazi Germany's regime as part of the state-sponsored People's Car initiative.

Business

How long did Gap's 2010 redesigned logo last before the company reverted to the original, following widespread public backlash?

Gap's 2010 logo redesign lasted exactly one week before the company reverted it, making it one of the fastest corporate U-turns in history.

Business

What term describes a negotiating tactic where the first number put on the table heavily influences the final outcome of a deal?

In one study, real estate agents shown a house with an artificially inflated listing price gave significantly higher appraisals than agents shown the same house at a lower price — even when told the listing price was arbitrary.