Strangest Olympic Events Ever!

Basketball, gymnastics, swimming...just a few of the traditional and best known Olympic events. But there are a few other Olympic contests that failed to stand the test of time...and for obvious reasons.

Club Swinging. Club Swinging debuted in 1904. The 'athlete' stood erect, holding clubs resembling bowling pins. He then twirled them in a 'complicated' routine, the more difficult the routine, the higher the score.

Live Pigeon Shooting. At the 1900 Olympics in Paris, where the object was to bring down as many as possible. Nearly 300 birds were slain in the contest, with the gold medalist bagging 21.

Sculpting. At the Stockholm Games in 1912 American Walter Winans took the gold for his sculpture of his dog, an American Setter.

Fire Fighting. Again, the 1900 Games in Paris, with competition in both professional and volunteer categories. One of the winners: Kansas City, Kansas, USA!

Town Planning. Held four times, in 1928, '32, 36 and '48. Only one American ever won a medal. Charles Downing Lay took the silver at Berlin in 1936 for his model of Brooklyn, New York.