Somebody had to invent the modern novel.
As it happens, that honor goes to Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, who was born on this day in 1547. His master work Don Quixote is still considered by many to be the best novel of all time.
How often does it happen that the first to do something is also the best at it? Imagine if the first movie ever made turned out to the best one, or the first pitcher in the Major Leagues established records that no other pitcher was ever able to top.
I cannot think of a single other instance where an entire new category was conceived by one person’s creation — and then that creation turned out to be the best of its kind.