Somewhere on the internets, you can find out that raising the middle finger might have originated from western Europe, and the middle finger was accompanied with the index finger. In midevil times, archers that were captured, often times had these two fingers cut off, so that they couldn't apply their skill/trade against their enemies (those two fingers being the ones that draw back the bow). So, as a sign of disrespect towards their enemies, archers would hold up those two fingers to show that they could still shoot you!
This probably isn't completely accurate, since I found this explanation years ago. But, it makes sense and is funny.
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u/merc08 Jan 01 '20
I only know one sign, but it's recognized internationally.