The Week's Strangest Victories

A Swedish chicken named Greta took home the crown at the National Poultry Show in Gothenburg last Tuesday. The judges praised her "exceptional plumage symmetry" and "confident stance." Greta beat out 847 other birds. Her owner collected a trophy, a ribbon, and presumably several months of explaining this at parties. The runner-up, a Silkie bantam named Princess, refused to comment.

Meanwhile in Oregon, David Rush added his 181st Guinness World Record to a collection that now includes "most cereal boxes toppled by throwing a playing card" and "fastest time to put on ten t-shirts while on a pogo stick." His latest achievement: catching 47 grapes in his mouth in one minute while standing on one leg. Rush says he pursues these records to promote STEM education. The connection between grape-catching and science education remains unclear, but the man commits to his craft. He trains daily. He has a coach. Somewhere, an Olympic athlete wonders what they did wrong in life.

Researchers at the University of Leicester published a study calculating how many humans it would take to physically move the Great Pyramid of Giza using only ropes and determination. Their answer: roughly 50,000 people pulling in shifts over 27 years. The study took three years to complete. Nobody commissioned it. Nobody asked for it. The pyramid has sat in the same spot for 4,500 years and shows no signs of wanting to relocate. But now we know, and that knowledge cost someone grant money.

This Week in Weird History: On this date in 1923, Frank Hayes became the first (and only) jockey to win a race after dying mid-competition at Belmont Park. His horse, Sweet Kiss, carried his body across the finish line. The crowd cheered, unaware. Hayes remains the only deceased winner in thoroughbred racing history, a record that will hopefully stand forever.