diff --git a/dist/showdown.js b/dist/showdown.js
index 9998a74..b715bc6 100644
Binary files a/dist/showdown.js and b/dist/showdown.js differ
diff --git a/dist/showdown.js.map b/dist/showdown.js.map
index fc89a37..69b6676 100644
Binary files a/dist/showdown.js.map and b/dist/showdown.js.map differ
diff --git a/dist/showdown.min.js b/dist/showdown.min.js
index 72c5778..605d088 100644
Binary files a/dist/showdown.min.js and b/dist/showdown.min.js differ
diff --git a/dist/showdown.min.js.map b/dist/showdown.min.js.map
index 81b657d..a4022f1 100644
Binary files a/dist/showdown.min.js.map and b/dist/showdown.min.js.map differ
diff --git a/src/subParsers/lists.js b/src/subParsers/lists.js
index 1b2c07d..96d08f9 100644
--- a/src/subParsers/lists.js
+++ b/src/subParsers/lists.js
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
  */
 showdown.subParser('lists', function (text, options, globals) {
   'use strict';
-  text = globals.converter._dispatch('lists.before', text, options, globals);
 
   /**
    * Process the contents of a single ordered or unordered list, splitting it
@@ -123,6 +122,17 @@ showdown.subParser('lists', function (text, options, globals) {
     return listStr;
   }
 
+  function styleStartNumber (list, listType) {
+    // check if ol and starts by a number different than 1
+    if (listType === 'ol') {
+      var res = list.match(/^ *(\d+)\./);
+      if (res && res[1] !== '1') {
+        return ' start="' + res[1] + '"';
+      }
+    }
+    return '';
+  }
+
   /**
    * Check and parse consecutive lists (better fix for issue #142)
    * @param {string} list
@@ -140,10 +150,11 @@ showdown.subParser('lists', function (text, options, globals) {
 
     if (list.search(counterRxg) !== -1) {
       (function parseCL (txt) {
-        var pos = txt.search(counterRxg);
+        var pos = txt.search(counterRxg),
+            style = styleStartNumber(list, listType);
         if (pos !== -1) {
           // slice
-          result += '\n<' + listType + '>\n' + processListItems(txt.slice(0, pos), !!trimTrailing) + '</' + listType + '>\n';
+          result += '\n<' + listType + style + '>\n' + processListItems(txt.slice(0, pos), !!trimTrailing) + '</' + listType + '>\n';
 
           // invert counterType and listType
           listType = (listType === 'ul') ? 'ol' : 'ul';
@@ -152,16 +163,19 @@ showdown.subParser('lists', function (text, options, globals) {
           //recurse
           parseCL(txt.slice(pos));
         } else {
-          result += '\n<' + listType + '>\n' + processListItems(txt, !!trimTrailing) + '</' + listType + '>\n';
+          result += '\n<' + listType + style + '>\n' + processListItems(txt, !!trimTrailing) + '</' + listType + '>\n';
         }
       })(list);
     } else {
-      result = '\n<' + listType + '>\n' + processListItems(list, !!trimTrailing) + '</' + listType + '>\n';
+      var style = styleStartNumber(list, listType);
+      result = '\n<' + listType + style + '>\n' + processListItems(list, !!trimTrailing) + '</' + listType + '>\n';
     }
 
     return result;
   }
 
+  /** Start of list parsing **/
+  text = globals.converter._dispatch('lists.before', text, options, globals);
   // add sentinel to hack around khtml/safari bug:
   // http://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=11231
   text += '¨0';
diff --git a/test/cases/ordered-list-starting-number.html b/test/cases/ordered-list-starting-number.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..45666bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/cases/ordered-list-starting-number.html
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+<ol start="5">
+    <li>foo</li>
+    <li>bar</li>
+    <li>baz</li>
+</ol>
+<hr />
+<ol start="3">
+    <li>a</li>
+    <li>b</li>
+    <li>c</li>
+    <li>d</li>
+</ol>
diff --git a/test/cases/ordered-list-starting-number.md b/test/cases/ordered-list-starting-number.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b5e9fde
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/cases/ordered-list-starting-number.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+5. foo
+6. bar
+7. baz
+
+---
+
+3.  a
+2.  b
+7.  c
+23. d
diff --git a/test/cases/ordered-list-wrong-numbers.md b/test/cases/ordered-list-wrong-numbers.md
index 643b57d..2fd21c6 100644
--- a/test/cases/ordered-list-wrong-numbers.md
+++ b/test/cases/ordered-list-wrong-numbers.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 
- 8.  Red
+ 1.  Red
  1.  Green
- 3.  Blue
+ 1.  Blue