diff --git a/src/subParsers/makemarkdown/break.js b/src/subParsers/makemarkdown/break.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..faf170f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/subParsers/makemarkdown/break.js
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+showdown.subParser('makeMarkdown.break', function () {
+  'use strict';
+
+  return '  \n';
+});
diff --git a/src/subParsers/makemarkdown/node.js b/src/subParsers/makemarkdown/node.js
index 67ab5852..b17303f9 100644
--- a/src/subParsers/makemarkdown/node.js
+++ b/src/subParsers/makemarkdown/node.js
@@ -109,6 +109,10 @@ showdown.subParser('makeMarkdown.node', function (node, globals, spansOnly) {
       txt = showdown.subParser('makeMarkdown.image')(node, globals);
       break;
 
+    case 'br':
+      txt = showdown.subParser('makeMarkdown.break')(node, globals);
+      break;
+
     default:
       txt = node.outerHTML + '\n\n';
   }
diff --git a/test/functional/makemarkdown/cases/standard/breaks.html b/test/functional/makemarkdown/cases/standard/breaks.html
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..603c563c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/functional/makemarkdown/cases/standard/breaks.html
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+first line<br />and the second
diff --git a/test/functional/makemarkdown/cases/standard/breaks.md b/test/functional/makemarkdown/cases/standard/breaks.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dcaa1e67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/functional/makemarkdown/cases/standard/breaks.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+first line  
+and the second