No, GNU/Linux Started in Boston, Not Helsinki
At risk of ruffling some feathers, let's remind ourselves that the development of the operating system many know as "Linux" started around 1984 with the concept (or plan) going back to 1983, i.e. over 40 years ago.
The Department of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki has lots to be proud of, including a widely used kernel, but the operating system generally started in the United States a lot sooner. The Department of Computer Science at the University of Manchester (where I did my Bachelors Degree), which is right above Manchester Computing (MCC, where I worked for about 3 years), has a lot to be proud of too. It's the home of the first programmable computer and MCC downstairs was the plane where the first GNU/Linux distro (called "MCC") was made. Owen, who was my colleague for a few years, made the first combination of GNU/Linux, i.e. a complete and bootable operating system.
History matters. Facts matter. █