Final answer:
Sargon of Akkad is credited with establishing the world's first-known empire, the Akkadian Empire, around 2340 BCE.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individual who is credited with establishing the first-known empire in world history is Sargon of Akkad. He founded the Akkadian Empire around 2340 BCE, marking the end of the era of independent Sumerian city-states. Sargon managed to conquer and unite various Mesopotamian cities under a single ruler, representing the model of an empire that later rulers sought to emulate. Through his conquests, Sargon's empire incorporated all of Mesopotamia and expanded its reach into Syria and Anatolia. This historic achievement established a new era of imperial rule in the Near East, which later influenced empires such as Ur and Hammurabi's Babylon.