Bitcoin is not a first cryptocurrency has ever been created, there are other cryptocurrencies were developed before Bitcoin. These cryptocurrencies did not get good adoption and success like Bitcoin but they paved paths to success for Bitcoin.
Bitcoin is definitely standing on the shoulders of giants, but AFAIk none of the other pre-Bitcoin cryptocurrencies ever got implemented? With the only exception being a handful of centralized services like Liberty Reserve, though those would hardly count as cryptocurrency by today's definition.