FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2026-063

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (April 17, 2026) – This edition of Fun with Maps speeds up delivery through the years.

Delivery

The paper outlining the concept of delivering urgent documents overnight earned Frank Smith a grade C in Yale business school.

Smith pressed on nonetheless, founding Federal Express, now FedEx, in 1971.  The operations were moved to Memphis two years later and the courier service begun on April 17, 1993.

Those of certain age will remember the ad campaigns starting the late 1970s “when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”

With time FedEx branched out to package deliveries, both urgent, and less urgent via ground transportation.  They also created greater retail presence with the acquisition of Kinko’s.  FedEx operates in 220 countries and territories.

Presented here is Finley’s map of Tennessee from 1824.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps. Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.