diff --git a/lib/events.js b/lib/events.js
index d41608deee..ea8f7aa628 100644
--- a/lib/events.js
+++ b/lib/events.js
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ EventEmitter.prototype.emit = function (type) {
         (isArray(this._events.error) && !this._events.error.length))
     {
       if (arguments[1] instanceof Error) {
-        throw arguments[1];
+        throw arguments[1]; // Unhandled 'error' event
       } else {
         throw new Error("Uncaught, unspecified 'error' event.");
       }
diff --git a/src/node.cc b/src/node.cc
index 8f13c64b64..004fa99b03 100644
--- a/src/node.cc
+++ b/src/node.cc
@@ -986,7 +986,15 @@ static void ReportException(TryCatch &try_catch, bool show_line) {
 
   if (trace.length() > 0) {
     fprintf(stderr, "%s\n", *trace);
+  } else {
+    // this really only happens for RangeErrors, since they're the only
+    // kind that won't have all this info in the trace.
+    Local<Value> er = try_catch.Exception();
+    String::Utf8Value msg(!er->IsObject() ? er->ToString()
+                         : er->ToObject()->Get(String::New("message"))->ToString());
+    fprintf(stderr, "%s\n", *msg);
   }
+
   fflush(stderr);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/node.js b/src/node.js
index bdc208455d..7d177eb6ce 100644
--- a/src/node.js
+++ b/src/node.js
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ process._tickCallback = function () {
     if (i+1 < l) {
       process._needTickCallback();
     }
-    throw e;
+    throw e; // process.nextTick error, or 'error' event on first tick
   }
 
   nextTickQueue.splice(0, l);
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ var module = (function () {
     var m = new Module(id);
     internalModuleCache[id] = m;
     var e = m._compile(natives[id], id);
-    if (e) throw e;
+    if (e) throw e; // error compiling native module
     return m;
   }
 
diff --git a/test/message/undefined_reference_in_new_context.out b/test/message/undefined_reference_in_new_context.out
index e9a5675828..6d3ab75fff 100644
--- a/test/message/undefined_reference_in_new_context.out
+++ b/test/message/undefined_reference_in_new_context.out
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 before
 
 node.js:*
-    throw e;
+    throw e; // process.nextTick error, or 'error' event on first tick
     ^
 ReferenceError: foo is not defined
     at evalmachine.<anonymous>:*