The Finger

We often see baseball players (and the general public) use the middle finger as an obscene hand gesture, but have you ever thought to yourself where "the bird" first appeared? While it's not clear how it originated in America,  we do know that the first documented appearance of the finger in the United States was in 1886 when Old Hoss Radbourn, a baseball pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters, was photographed giving it to a member of the rival New York Giants. That's another first brought to you by baseball!

Check out the finger, back row, far left.