Fred Smith, FedEx founder who revolutionized the package delivery business, dies at 80

Fred Smith, the FedEx Corp. founder who revolutionized the express delivery industry, has died, the company said. He was 80. FedEx started operating in 1973, delivering small parcels and documents more quickly than the post office could. Over the next half-century, Smith, a Marine Corp. veteran, oversaw the growth of a company that combined air and ground service and became something of an economic bellwether because so many other companies rely on it. It’s now a global transportation and logistics company that averages 17 million shipments per business day.