"What is the history of the three lions on the English football shirt?" asks Lisa Herron.
Put your lute tape on the jukebox, Lisa, because we're about to embark on a history lesson.
The short answer is that England wear the three lions on their shirts - as they have done ever since the first international against Scotland in 1872 - because, as representatives of the Football Association, they're simply sporting the logo of the FA.
However where that logo comes from is a much longer story. The lions have a history going back to the 12th century, when a standard with three gold lions on a red field was carried into battle to inspire the troops.
The first one came from Henry I - known as the lion of England - who had a lion on his standard on taking power in 1100. Shortly afterwards he married Adeliza, whose father also had a lion on his shield, and to commemorate the event he added a second lion to his standard. In 1154, two lions became three when Henry II married Eleanor of Aquitaine, who - yes, you've guessed it - also had a lion her family crest.
Later that century, Richard the Lionheart (1189-1199) used the three golden lions on a scarlet background as a symbol of the English throne and, after that, it appeared on the Royal Arms of every succeeding monarch.
So when the FA was formed in 1863, it seemed natural enough to base their logo on this stirring royal shield. Since then, the design has only been changed once, in 1949 - when the crown that was on top of the lions was removed to differentiate the badge from that of the English cricket team.
REWIND: SMALLEST WORLD CUP TOWN EVER (2)
In a previous Knowledge we suggested that two Swedish towns, Uddevalla and Sandviken, (population: 40,000 and 29,000 respectively) were the tiniest host towns in World Cup history. Surely there can't be a smaller one out there, can there?
Daniel Wilson thinks so. As he points out, Lugano in Switzerland hosted a game between Italy and Belgium on June 20, 1954. The present population of the town (according to the Swiss tourist board) is just 29,000 - and it was almost certainly lower 48 years ago.
THE DOMESTIC TREBLE
Mark Hughes is one of only two players who have won the big three domestic trophies (Premiership, FA Cup and League Cup) with three different clubs," says Jon Carter. "We've been racking our brains for days trying to think of the other without success. Please help!"
No problems, Jon. The man you're looking for is none other than veteran midfielder Kevin Richardson.
In 1984, Richardson scooped the first part of a personal treble by winning the FA Cup with Everton. Then, five years later, he was part of the Arsenal side that famously won the title at Anfield with Michael Thomas's last-minute goal.
And the final piece of the treble? That came in 1994, when Aston Villa beat Manchester United 3-1 to win the Coca-Cola Cup - although Neil Penny swears blind that Mark Bosnich should have walked in the semi-finals and Tranmere should have been at Wembley instead.
REWIND: DERBY DAYS (4)
Richard Gough may have insisted that he played in six derbies, including "the one that just might stump you, San Jose Clash v Los Angeles Galaxy" - but John Clements is less convinced. "The cities are 343 miles apart!" he exclaims.
WHY DO ITALY PLAY IN BLUE?
"Why do Italy play in blue when their national flag does not contain this colour?" asks Kerry Gallant.
The Azzurri wear blue because it is the colour of Savoia, the ruling house of Italy from 1861 to 1946. When the Italian Republic was established in 1946, the tricolour was adopted as the national flag - however Italy's famous azure blue kit remained.
So now you know. For a fuller answer see the July 12, 2000 edition in the Knowledge Archive, where you can also find out why Germany's away kit is green.
Can you help?
"Has any team been knocked out of the World Cup by the eventual winners more times than England? I can think of four times this has happened: Brazil in 2002, Germany in 1990, Argentina in 1986 and Brazil again in 1962. Is anybody else as unlucky with the draw as us?" asks Will Sturgeon.
"Who have Everton never beaten in top division football?" asks Colin Randles.
"What is the most prestigious match to be decided by a toss of a coin?" asks Paul Miller.
"My club, Albion Rovers, failed to renew manager John McVeigh's contract in the close-season. He has consequently taken a job at Stenhousemuir and has signed nine of "his" team from last season. Is this some sort of record for number of transfers between senior clubs?" asks Tommy.
"Juventus won the Italian League on the last day without ever having been in first place the entire season. Has this ever happened before in any league?" asks Filipe Lowndes Marques.
"Which current league club(s) have been promoted the most times and which has been relegated the most times?" asks Dan Nicholls.
Send your questions and answers to the.boss@theguardian.com
