diff --git a/Graphics/Rendering/Chart/Event.hs b/Graphics/Rendering/Chart/Event.hs
--- a/Graphics/Rendering/Chart/Event.hs
+++ b/Graphics/Rendering/Chart/Event.hs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
     plot_event_long_linestyle,
     plot_event_pulse_linestyle,
     plot_event_track_linestyle,
+    plot_event_label,
 ) where
 
 import qualified Graphics.Rendering.Cairo as C
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@
 import Data.Colour.Names
 import Data.Accessor
 import Data.Accessor.Template
+import Control.Monad
 
 data Event t e = LongEvent t t e  -- ^ An event that has a beginning and an end
                | PulseEvent t e   -- ^ A zero-length event
@@ -37,7 +39,8 @@
    -- | Fillstyle with which interiors of rectangles for long events will be filled
    plot_event_long_fillstyle_  :: e -> CairoFillStyle,
    -- | Linestyle with which the "track line" will be drawn
-   plot_event_track_linestyle_ :: CairoLineStyle
+   plot_event_track_linestyle_ :: CairoLineStyle,
+   plot_event_label_           :: e -> String
 }
 
 defaultPlotEvent = PlotEvent {
@@ -46,7 +49,8 @@
    plot_event_pulse_linestyle_ = const $ solidLine 2 (opaque red),
    plot_event_long_linestyle_  = const $ solidLine 1 (opaque black),
    plot_event_long_fillstyle_  = const $ solidFillStyle (opaque lightgray),
-   plot_event_track_linestyle_ = solidLine 1 (opaque black)
+   plot_event_track_linestyle_ = solidLine 1 (opaque black),
+   plot_event_label_           = const ""
 }
 
 instance ToPlot PlotEvent where
@@ -67,7 +71,7 @@
 framedRect ls r = setLineStyle ls >> strokePath (rectPath r)
 
 barHeight = 7
-pulseHeight = 7
+pulseHeight = 15
 
 renderPlotEvent :: PlotEvent t e -> PointMapFn t e  -> CRender ()
 renderPlotEvent p pmap = do
@@ -94,6 +98,12 @@
         moveTo (Point x (y-pulseHeight/2))
         lineTo (Point x (y+pulseHeight/2))
         c $ C.stroke
+        let label = plot_event_label_ p e
+        when (not (null label)) $ do
+          extents <- c $ C.textExtents label
+          moveTo (Point x (y - pulseHeight/2 - C.textExtentsHeight extents - C.textExtentsYbearing extents - 1))
+          setLineStyle $ solidLine 2 (opaque black)
+          c $ C.showText label
       drawEventFrame (LongEvent t1 t2 e) = do
         let (Point x1 cy)  = pmap (LValue t1, LValue e)
         let (Point x2 cy') = pmap (LValue t2, LValue e) -- Assume cy' == cy (pmap is coordinate-wise)
diff --git a/Tools/TimePlot.hs b/Tools/TimePlot.hs
--- a/Tools/TimePlot.hs
+++ b/Tools/TimePlot.hs
@@ -36,23 +36,23 @@
 import Data.Colour
 import Data.Colour.Names
 
-newtype Status = Status String deriving (Eq, Show, Ord)
+data Status = Status {statusColor :: String, statusLabel :: String} deriving (Eq, Show, Ord)
 
 instance PlotValue Status where
   toValue = const 0
-  fromValue = const (Status "")
+  fromValue = const (Status "" "")
   autoAxis = const unitStatusAxis
 
 unitStatusAxis :: AxisData Status
 unitStatusAxis = AxisData {
     axis_viewport_ = \(x0,x1) _ -> (x0+x1)/2,
-    axis_tropweiv_ = \_       _ -> Status "",
-    axis_ticks_    = [(Status "", 0)],
-    axis_labels_   = [[(Status "", "")]],
+    axis_tropweiv_ = \_       _ -> Status "" "",
+    axis_ticks_    = [(Status "" "", 0)],
+    axis_labels_   = [[(Status "" "", "")]],
     axis_grid_     = []
 }
 
-data Edge = Rise | Fall | Pulse | SetTo Status deriving (Eq,Show)
+data Edge = Rise | Fall | Pulse {pulseLabel :: String} | SetTo Status deriving (Eq,Show)
 
 data InEvent = InEdge  Edge
              | InValue Double
@@ -214,11 +214,17 @@
       case c of
         '>' -> return (t, strict rest, InEdge Rise )
         '<' -> return (t, strict rest, InEdge Fall )
-        '!' -> return (t, strict rest, InEdge Pulse)
+        '!' -> do
+          let (track, val') = B.break (==' ') rest
+          if B.null val'
+            then return (t, strict track, InEdge (Pulse ""))
+            else do
+              (_,val) <- B.uncons val'
+              return (t, strict track, InEdge . Pulse . B.unpack $ val)
         '@' -> do
           let (track, val') = B.break (==' ') rest
           (_,val) <- B.uncons val'
-          return (t, strict track, InEdge . SetTo . Status . B.unpack $ val)
+          return (t, strict track, InEdge $ SetTo (Status {statusColor = B.unpack $ val, statusLabel = ""}))
         '=' -> do
           let (track, val') = B.break (==' ') rest
           (_,val) <- B.uncons val'
@@ -313,9 +319,12 @@
             vs   = M.keys $ M.fromList $ [(a,()) | (_,a) <- as]
 
     plotTrackEvent     name es       = layoutWithTitle (toPlot plot) name
-      where plot = plot_event_data ^= edges2events (edges es) $ 
-                   plot_event_long_fillstyle ^= toFillStyle $ defaultPlotEvent
-            toFillStyle (Status s) = solidFillStyle . opaque $ fromMaybe lightgray (readColourName s)
+      where plot = plot_event_data           ^= edges2events (edges es) $ 
+                   plot_event_long_fillstyle ^= toFillStyle             $ 
+                   plot_event_label          ^= toLabel                 $ 
+                   defaultPlotEvent
+            toFillStyle s = solidFillStyle . opaque $ fromMaybe lightgray (readColourName (statusColor s))
+            toLabel     s = statusLabel s
 
     plotTrackQuantile  name es qs bs = layoutWithTitle (plotBars plot) name
       where plot = plot_bars_values  ^= toBars (byTimeBins (getQuantiles qs) bs t0 (values es)) $
@@ -393,15 +402,10 @@
     merge (l@(LongEvent t1 t2 _):ls) (p@(PulseEvent t _):ps)
       | t1<t = l:merge ls (p:ps)
       | True = p:merge (l:ls) ps
-    pulses = [PulseEvent t (Status "") | (t,Pulse) <- tes]
-    edges  = [(t,e) | (t,e) <- tes, e /= Pulse]
-    longs  = longs' (Status "") Nothing 0 (error "Unreachable") edges
+    pulses = [PulseEvent t (Status {statusColor="", statusLabel=s}) | (t,Pulse s) <- tes]
+    edges  = [(t,e) | (t,e) <- tes, case e of { Pulse _ -> False; _ -> True } ]
+    longs  = longs' (Status "" "") Nothing 0 (error "Unreachable") edges
       where
-        -- arg 1: current status
-        -- arg 2: start time of bar or nothing
-        -- arg 3: bar height
-        -- arg 4: ???
-        -- arg 5: events
         longs' s _         0 _ [] = []
         longs' s (Just t0) _ t [] = [LongEvent t0 t s]
         longs' s Nothing   0 _ ((t,Rise):tes) = longs' s (Just t)  1 t tes
@@ -421,11 +425,11 @@
     gather nmax nopen npulse ((t,e):tes) (t1:t2:ts)
       | t<t1 = error "Times are not in ascending order"
       | t>=t2 = ((t1,t2),nmax):gather nopen nopen 0 ((t,e):tes) (t2:ts)
-    gather nmax nopen npulse ((t,Rise ):tes) (t1:t2:ts)
+    gather nmax nopen npulse ((t,Rise ):tes)   (t1:t2:ts)
       = gather (nmax `max` (nopen+npulse+1)) (nopen+1) npulse     tes (t1:t2:ts)
-    gather nmax nopen npulse ((t,Fall ):tes) (t1:t2:ts)
+    gather nmax nopen npulse ((t,Fall ):tes)   (t1:t2:ts)
       = gather nmax                          (nopen-1) npulse     tes (t1:t2:ts)
-    gather nmax nopen npulse ((t,Pulse):tes) (t1:t2:ts)
+    gather nmax nopen npulse ((t,Pulse _):tes) (t1:t2:ts)
       = gather (nmax `max` (nopen+npulse+1)) nopen    (npulse+1)  tes (t1:t2:ts)
     gather nmax nopen npulse ((t,SetTo s):tes) (t1:t2:ts)
       = gather nmax                          nopen     npulse     tes (t1:t2:ts)
@@ -522,13 +526,14 @@
   "1234 >A - at time 1234, activity A has begun",
   "1234 <A - at time 1234, activity A has ended",
   "1234 !B - at time 1234, pulse event B has occured",
+  "1234 !B TEXT - at time 1234, pulse event B has occured with label TEXT",
   "1234 @B COLOR - at time 1234, the status of B became such that it is appropriate to draw it with color COLOR :)",
   "1234 =C VAL - at time 1234, parameter C had numeric value VAL (for example, HTTP response time)",
   "1234 =D `EVENT - at time 1234, event EVENT occured in process D (for example, HTTP response code)",
   "It is assumed that many events of the same kind may occur at once.",
   "Diagram kinds:",
   "  'none' - do not plot this track",
-  "  'event' is for event diagrams: activities are drawn like --[===]--- , pulse events like --|--",
+  "  'event' is for event diagrams: activities are drawn like --[===]--- , pulse events like --|-- with a label over '|'",
   "  'duration XXXX' - plot any kind of diagram over the *durations* of events on a track (delimited by > ... <)",
   "     for example 'duration quantile 300 0.25,0.5,0.75' will plot these quantiles of durations of the events.",
   "     This is useful where your log looks like 'Started processing' ... 'Finished processing': you can plot",
diff --git a/timeplot.cabal b/timeplot.cabal
--- a/timeplot.cabal
+++ b/timeplot.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name: timeplot
-Version: 0.2.13
+Version: 0.2.14
 License: BSD3
 License-file: LICENSE
 Copyright: Eugene Kirpichov, 2009
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
   if flag(gtk)
     cpp-options: -DHAVE_GTK=1
   
-  Build-Depends: Chart >= 0.14, cairo, bytestring, bytestring-lexing, strptime >= 0.1.5, time, 
+  Build-Depends: Chart >= 0.14, cairo, bytestring, bytestring-lexing, strptime >= 0.1.7, time, 
                  containers, colour, data-accessor == 0.2.*, data-accessor-template >= 0.2.1.1 && < 0.3, 
                  haskell98, regex-tdfa
   Main-Is: Tools/TimePlot.hs