diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 576345b7..d42a90ae 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 Changes in current version:
  o free minheap on event_base_free(); from Christopher Layne
  o debug cleanups in signal.c; from Christopher Layne
+ o provide event_base_new() that does not set the current_base global	
 
 Changes in 1.4.0:
  o allow \r or \n individually to separate HTTP headers instead of the standard "\r\n"; from Charles Kerr.
diff --git a/event.c b/event.c
index cb7f4d40..3e6295cb 100644
--- a/event.c
+++ b/event.c
@@ -157,6 +157,17 @@ gettime(struct timeval *tp)
 
 struct event_base *
 event_init(void)
+{
+	struct event_base *base = event_base_new();
+
+	if (base != NULL)
+		current_base = base;
+
+	return (base);
+}
+
+struct event_base *
+event_base_new(void)
 {
 	int i;
 	struct event_base *base;
@@ -193,7 +204,6 @@ event_init(void)
 	/* allocate a single active event queue */
 	event_base_priority_init(base, 1);
 
-	current_base = base;
 	return (base);
 }
 
diff --git a/event.h b/event.h
index 7eeaccbc..4dd87338 100644
--- a/event.h
+++ b/event.h
@@ -55,8 +55,8 @@
 
   Every program that uses libevent must include the <event.h> header, and pass
   the -levent flag to the linker.  Before using any of the functions in the
-  library, you must call event_init() to perform one-time initialization of
-  the libevent library.
+  library, you must call event_init() or event_base_new() to perform one-time
+  initialization of the libevent library.
 
   @section event Event notification
 
@@ -267,11 +267,25 @@ struct eventop {
 	void (*dealloc)(struct event_base *, void *);
 };
 
+/**
+  Initialize the event API.
+
+  Use event_base_new() to initialize a new event base, but does not set
+  the current_base global.   If using only event_base_new(), each event
+  added must have an event base set with event_base_set()
+
+  @see event_base_set(), event_base_free(), event_init()
+ */
+struct event_base *event_base_new(void);
+
 /**
   Initialize the event API.
 
   The event API needs to be initialized with event_init() before it can be
-  used.
+  used.  Sets the current_base global representing the default base for
+  events that have no base associated with them.
+
+  @see event_base_set(), event_base_new()
  */
 struct event_base *event_init(void);
 
diff --git a/test/regress.c b/test/regress.c
index 105ac504..a153da48 100644
--- a/test/regress.c
+++ b/test/regress.c
@@ -647,6 +647,28 @@ test_free_active_base(void)
 	cleanup_test();
 }
 
+void
+test_event_base_new(void)
+{
+	struct event_base *base;
+	struct event ev1;
+	setup_test("Event base new: ");
+
+	write(pair[0], TEST1, strlen(TEST1)+1);
+	shutdown(pair[0], SHUT_WR);
+
+	base = event_base_new();
+	event_set(&ev1, pair[1], EV_READ, simple_read_cb, &ev1);
+	event_base_set(base, &ev1);
+	event_add(&ev1, NULL);
+
+	event_base_dispatch(base);
+
+	event_base_free(base);
+	test_ok = 1;
+	cleanup_test();
+}
+
 void
 test_loopexit(void)
 {
@@ -1155,6 +1177,8 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 
 	test_free_active_base();
 
+	test_event_base_new();
+
 	http_suite();
 
 	rpc_suite();