Answer
**Simula,** a pioneering language developed in the 1960s, exerted a profound influence on the genesis of C++. Notably, Simula introduced groundbreaking concepts such as classes, objects, inheritance, and virtual functions, which laid the groundwork for the object-oriented programming (OOP) paradigm. These concepts were subsequently adopted and refined in the design of C++, solidifying its position as a prominent and widely used OOP language.