Final answer:
Cloud-based hosting developed during the 1990s, with initial services like AOL leading to the evolution of broadband and the creation of early websites and search engines that paved the way for modern cloud services.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cloud-based hosting, a concept that leverages the internet to provide services, has roots that can be traced back to the early initiatives of the 1990s. During this time, the burgeoning internet had about thirty thousand hosts, with telecom and software companies beginning to create service providers such as America Online (AOL). These early forms of connection using standard phone lines and modems eventually evolved into more sophisticated broadband connections leveraging cable lines and dedicated lines to handle the growing internet traffic. As a result, the 1990s saw the development of the first websites, search engines, and commercial internet platforms, which laid the groundwork for modern cloud services.