diff --git a/api/handler.go b/api/handler.go
index 4caa247e..6015fd56 100644
--- a/api/handler.go
+++ b/api/handler.go
@@ -180,19 +180,19 @@ func getContainerInfoRequest(body io.ReadCloser) (*info.ContainerInfoRequest, er
 // with any twice defined arguments being assigned the first value.
 // If the value type for the argument is wrong the field will be assumed to be
 // unassigned
-// bools: historical, subcontainers, oom_events, creation_events, deletion_events
+// bools: stream, subcontainers, oom_events, creation_events, deletion_events
 // ints: max_events, start_time (unix timestamp), end_time (unix timestamp)
-// example r.URL: http://localhost:8080/api/v1.3/events?oom_events=true&historical=true&max_events=10
+// example r.URL: http://localhost:8080/api/v1.3/events?oom_events=true&stream=true
 func getEventRequest(r *http.Request) (*events.Request, bool, error) {
 	query := events.NewRequest()
-	getHistoricalEvents := false
+	stream := false
 
 	urlMap := r.URL.Query()
 
-	if val, ok := urlMap["historical"]; ok {
+	if val, ok := urlMap["stream"]; ok {
 		newBool, err := strconv.ParseBool(val[0])
 		if err == nil {
-			getHistoricalEvents = newBool
+			stream = newBool
 		}
 	}
 	if val, ok := urlMap["subcontainers"]; ok {
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ func getEventRequest(r *http.Request) (*events.Request, bool, error) {
 	glog.V(2).Infof(
 		"%v was returned in api/handler.go:getEventRequest from the url rawQuery %v",
 		query, r.URL.RawQuery)
-	return query, getHistoricalEvents, nil
+	return query, stream, nil
 }
 
 func getContainerName(request []string) string {
diff --git a/api/versions.go b/api/versions.go
index 42443951..9f56ff6c 100644
--- a/api/versions.go
+++ b/api/versions.go
@@ -268,12 +268,12 @@ func (self *version1_3) HandleRequest(requestType string, request []string, m ma
 }
 
 func handleEventRequest(m manager.Manager, w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) error {
-	query, eventsFromAllTime, err := getEventRequest(r)
+	query, stream, err := getEventRequest(r)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	glog.V(2).Infof("Api - Events(%v)", query)
-	if eventsFromAllTime {
+	if !stream {
 		pastEvents, err := m.GetPastEvents(query)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
diff --git a/api/versions_test.go b/api/versions_test.go
index e655eeb0..0a107858 100644
--- a/api/versions_test.go
+++ b/api/versions_test.go
@@ -34,20 +34,19 @@ func makeHTTPRequest(requestURL string, t *testing.T) *http.Request {
 }
 
 func TestGetEventRequestBasicRequest(t *testing.T) {
-	r := makeHTTPRequest("http://localhost:8080/api/v1.3/events?oom_events=true&historical=true&max_events=10", t)
-	expectedQuery := &events.Request{
-		EventType: map[info.EventType]bool{
-			info.EventOom: true,
-		},
-		MaxEventsReturned: 10,
+	r := makeHTTPRequest("http://localhost:8080/api/v1.3/events?oom_events=true&stream=false&max_events=20", t)
+	expectedQuery := events.NewRequest()
+	expectedQuery.EventType = map[info.EventType]bool{
+		info.EventOom: true,
 	}
+	expectedQuery.MaxEventsReturned = 20
 
-	receivedQuery, getHistoricalEvents, err := getEventRequest(r)
+	receivedQuery, stream, err := getEventRequest(r)
 
 	if !reflect.DeepEqual(expectedQuery, receivedQuery) {
-		t.Errorf("expected %v but received %v", expectedQuery, receivedQuery)
+		t.Errorf("expected %#v but received %#v", expectedQuery, receivedQuery)
 	}
-	assert.True(t, getHistoricalEvents)
+	assert.False(t, stream)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 }
 
@@ -55,28 +54,27 @@ func TestGetEventEmptyRequest(t *testing.T) {
 	r := makeHTTPRequest("", t)
 	expectedQuery := events.NewRequest()
 
-	receivedQuery, getHistoricalEvents, err := getEventRequest(r)
+	receivedQuery, stream, err := getEventRequest(r)
 
 	if !reflect.DeepEqual(expectedQuery, receivedQuery) {
-		t.Errorf("expected %v but received %v", expectedQuery, receivedQuery)
+		t.Errorf("expected %#v but received %#v", expectedQuery, receivedQuery)
 	}
-	assert.False(t, getHistoricalEvents)
+	assert.False(t, stream)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 }
 
 func TestGetEventRequestDoubleArgument(t *testing.T) {
-	r := makeHTTPRequest("http://localhost:8080/api/v1.3/events?historical=true&oom_events=true&oom_events=false", t)
-	expectedQuery := &events.Request{
-		EventType: map[info.EventType]bool{
-			info.EventOom: true,
-		},
+	r := makeHTTPRequest("http://localhost:8080/api/v1.3/events?stream=true&oom_events=true&oom_events=false", t)
+	expectedQuery := events.NewRequest()
+	expectedQuery.EventType = map[info.EventType]bool{
+		info.EventOom: true,
 	}
 
-	receivedQuery, getHistoricalEvents, err := getEventRequest(r)
+	receivedQuery, stream, err := getEventRequest(r)
 
 	if !reflect.DeepEqual(expectedQuery, receivedQuery) {
-		t.Errorf("expected %v but received %v", expectedQuery, receivedQuery)
+		t.Errorf("expected %#v but received %#v", expectedQuery, receivedQuery)
 	}
-	assert.True(t, getHistoricalEvents)
+	assert.True(t, stream)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 }