Just who first thought of weapons?

[Hot, crispy nice hobbit]

This is just my first topic in the site, and I don't know whether there had been any other threads like this one... but I beg the question: Just who first thought of weapons of war?

In the creation of Arda, the Valar took physical raiments to cloth their glory. Melkor, who had risen against them, took the form of a terrible giant to destroy their works:

His envy grew then the greater within him; and he also took visible form, but because of his mood and the malice that burned in him that form was dark and terrible. And he descended upon Arda in power and majesty greater than any other of the Valar, as a mountain that wades in the sea and has its head above the clouds and is clad in ice and crowned with smoke and fire; and the light of the eyes of Melkor was like a flame that withers with heat and pierces with a deadly cold - Silmarillion

Now, it was not stated what weapons they used to make war, but since Aule is the master smith, weapon smithing can probably be attributed to him. And it was said that "the armouries of the Valar were locked" or something (Sorry, can't find my BoLT and History of ME). Earlier versions said that the Eldar had only "weapons of the chase" that is javelins, bow and arrows, slings, spears and such. But surprisingly, the Sindar and the Dwarves, or Naugrim, which have never been to Valinor after they woke up, could know of smithing weapons and armor!

Therefore Thingol took thought for arms, which before his people had not needed, and these at first the Naugrim smithied for him; for they were greatly skilled in such work, though none among them surpassed the craftsmen of Nogrod, of whom Telchar the smith was the greatest in renown.

The Noldor know of weapons and armour from the teachings of Melkor; if Aule had taught the Noldor how to make the weapons, then they would not have needed Melkor to "remind" them that they need to protect themselves. How is it then, that those left behind in Arda should know of tools of war even before the Noldor. Of Man, of course, they learn everything either from the Noldor, or from Morgoth... But what of the Sindar and the Dark Elves? What also of the Dwarves, assuming that Aule had not taught them how to make weapons and armor before putting them to bed? And had Aule really taught the dwarves how to make tools of war? Several versions of Prof T's work seemed to defer, and I can't really tell which is authenic...