In 1969, DHL was founded by Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom, and Robert Lynn—whose last initials form the company's moniker—as a courier service between San Francisco and Honolulu.
The company quickly expanded by adding services in The Philippines, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East during the 1970s.
In 2001, Deutsche Post World Net acquired the majority (51%) of the shares, and 100% ownership in 2002. The new DHL was launched as the old DHL; Danzas and Euro Express were merged.
In 2003, DHL acquired Airborne Express.
DHL owns its own cargo airline DHL Aviation operating out of Brussels International Airport.
Securicor Omega is also owned by DHL.