[jonsen]

I don't think that is what is meant by "be the first to" here. I'm no expert in english, but in my native language the analog expression could mean "if somebody would think of X, she surely would".

[jessriedel]

I don't think that applies to English. As I read it, the sentence is definitely a claim of priority.

[Twisol]

There's a crucial distinction between "would be" and "was". You'd be correct if the sentence used "would be", but "was" is very definite.