Which decade saw the creation of the first virtual machines?

The creation of the first virtual machines occurred in the 1960s. This was a significant period in computing history as it marked the emergence of concepts that would fundamentally change how computers operated. The development of virtual machines allowed multiple instances of an operating system to run on a single physical machine.

One of the pivotal advancements was made at IBM with the introduction of the CP-40 and later the CP-67, part of the System/360 architecture. These systems demonstrated the potential for virtualization by allowing multiple users to share the resources of a single computer as though they each had their own machine. This innovation laid the groundwork for modern virtualization technologies we see today, which are critical in cloud computing and data center optimization.

The other decades do not represent this pivotal development in virtualization; therefore, they are not associated with the creation of the first virtual machines. The 1950s primarily focused on the establishment of early computing concepts, while the 1970s and 1980s saw advancements in software and hardware but were building on the earlier work done in the 1960s rather than pioneering virtual machine technology. This solidifies the 1960s as the correct answer regarding the origin of virtual machines.