Apparently the page in the top spot now hasn't been updated since: 2011.07.08
It now only consists of ads, a twitter feed, and a "Abba-da-dabba-da-dabba-dabba Dat’s all folks!" line.
So what if Googlebot thought HN was dead? Why would it opt to show a "more dead" page in place of it?
I think you're fibbing.