Oh, my word. It was used in Ancient Greece four centuries BC, and in this country probably from the beginning, but at least since the development of photography so that the gesture could be "captured" for posterity. I'm older than dirt and remember it from my older brother wishing to start something with me without our parents overhearing.
Wikipedia: The finger
Well, as Gomer Pyle would have exclaimed: “Gaw-ahh-Lee!”
Nothing new under the sun.