http://news.ycombinator.com/over?points=1000
1000 points happened around a month ago as well, but before that there doesn't seem to be any, though I'd expect Steve Job's death to be much higher - perhaps it was hidden after a time?
For a full list of stories with high-scores you can consult HNSearch [1]
[1]: http://www.hnsearch.com/search#request/submissions&sortb...
Most likely, a few engineers from Amazon saw the story and forwarded it to the right person. That sort of thing is fairly common even in large companies; I ask friends who work at Facebook for favors all the time, for example.
Best part was we got an email later that day saying "Student Research and Development" was obscene, and would need to be changed.