diff --git a/model/fieldtypes/Date.php b/model/fieldtypes/Date.php
index 269c93df8..dac879c67 100644
--- a/model/fieldtypes/Date.php
+++ b/model/fieldtypes/Date.php
@@ -46,7 +46,14 @@ class Date extends DBField {
 		if(is_numeric($value)) {
 			$this->value = date('Y-m-d', $value);
 		} elseif(is_string($value)) {
-			$this->value = date('Y-m-d', strtotime($value));
+			try{
+				$date = new DateTime($value);
+				$this->value = $date->Format('Y-m-d');
+				return;
+			}catch(Exception $e){
+				$this->value = null;
+				return;
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -54,42 +61,42 @@ class Date extends DBField {
 	 * Returns the date in the format dd/mm/yy 
 	 */	 
 	function Nice() {
-		if($this->value) return date('d/m/Y', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('d/m/Y');
 	}
 	
 	/**
 	 * Returns the date in US format: “01/18/2006”
 	 */
 	function NiceUS() {
-		if($this->value) return date('m/d/Y', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('m/d/Y');
 	}
 	
 	/** 
 	 * Returns the year from the given date
 	 */
 	function Year() {
-		if($this->value) return date('Y', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('Y');
 	}
 	
 	/**
 	 * Returns the Full day, of the given date.
 	 */
 	function Day(){
-		if($this->value) return date('l', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('l');
 	}
 	
 	/**
 	 * Returns a full textual representation of a month, such as January.
 	 */
 	function Month() {
-		if($this->value) return date('F', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('F');
 	}
 	
 	/**
 	 * Returns the short version of the month such as Jan
 	 */
 	function ShortMonth() {
-		if($this->value) return date('M', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('M');
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -101,7 +108,7 @@ class Date extends DBField {
 		if($this->value) {
 			$format = 'j';
 			if ($includeOrdinal) $format .= 'S';
-			return date($format, strtotime($this->value));
+			return $this->Format($format);
 		}
 	}
 	
@@ -109,14 +116,14 @@ class Date extends DBField {
 	 * Returns the date in the format 24 December 2006
 	 */
 	function Long() {
-		if($this->value) return date('j F Y', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('j F Y');
 	}
 	
 	/**
 	 * Returns the date in the format 24 Dec 2006
 	 */
 	function Full() {
-		if($this->value) return date('j M Y', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('j M Y');
 	}
 	
 	/**
@@ -126,7 +133,10 @@ class Date extends DBField {
 	 * @return string The date in the requested format
 	 */
 	function Format($format) {
-		if($this->value) return date($format, strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value){
+			$date = new DateTime($this->value);
+			return $date->Format($format);
+		}
 	}
 	
 	/**
diff --git a/model/fieldtypes/Datetime.php b/model/fieldtypes/Datetime.php
index b29831bed..906fddfe8 100644
--- a/model/fieldtypes/Datetime.php
+++ b/model/fieldtypes/Datetime.php
@@ -40,7 +40,15 @@ class SS_Datetime extends Date {
 		if(is_numeric($value)) {
 			$this->value = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $value);
 		} elseif(is_string($value)) {
-			$this->value = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', strtotime($value));
+			// $this->value = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', strtotime($value));
+			try{
+				$date = new DateTime($value);
+				$this->value = $date->Format('Y-m-d H:i:s');
+				return;
+			}catch(Exception $e){
+				$this->value = null;
+				return;
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -48,23 +56,23 @@ class SS_Datetime extends Date {
 	 * Returns the date in the raw SQL-format, e.g. “2006-01-18 16:32:04”
 	 */
 	function Nice() {
-		if($this->value) return date('d/m/Y g:ia', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('d/m/Y g:ia');
 	}
 
 	function Nice24() {
-		if($this->value) return date('d/m/Y H:i', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('d/m/Y H:i');
 	}
 
 	function Date() {
-		if($this->value) return date('d/m/Y', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('d/m/Y');
 	}
 
 	function Time() {
-		if($this->value) return date('g:ia', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('g:ia');
 	}
 
 	function Time24() {
-		if($this->value) return date('H:i', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('H:i');
 	}
 
 	function requireField() {
@@ -74,7 +82,7 @@ class SS_Datetime extends Date {
 	}
 	
 	function URLDatetime() {
-		if($this->value) return date('Y-m-d%20H:i:s', strtotime($this->value));
+		if($this->value) return $this->Format('Y-m-d%20H:i:s');
 	}
 	
 	public function scaffoldFormField($title = null, $params = null) {
diff --git a/tests/forms/GridFieldTest.php b/tests/forms/GridFieldTest.php
index 4269a3f88..b87d71539 100644
--- a/tests/forms/GridFieldTest.php
+++ b/tests/forms/GridFieldTest.php
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ class GridFieldTest extends SapphireTest {
 	public function testGetCastedValueObject() {
 		$obj = new GridField('testfield', 'testfield');
 		$value = $obj->getCastedValue('This is a sentance. This ia another.', 'Date');
-		$this->assertEquals('1970-01-01', $value);
+		$this->assertEquals(null, $value);
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/tests/model/DateTest.php b/tests/model/DateTest.php
index 125301ce5..e2591b635 100644
--- a/tests/model/DateTest.php
+++ b/tests/model/DateTest.php
@@ -61,6 +61,36 @@ class DateTest extends SapphireTest {
 		);
 	}
 	
+	function testNiceUS(){
+		$this->assertEquals('03/31/2008', DBField::create_field('Date', 1206968400)->NiceUs(),
+			"Date->NiceUs() works with timestamp integers"
+		);
+	}
+	
+	function testYear(){
+		$this->assertEquals('2008', DBField::create_field('Date', 1206968400)->Year(),
+			"Date->Year() works with timestamp integers"
+		);
+	}
+	
+	function testDay(){
+		$this->assertEquals('Monday', DBField::create_field('Date', 1206968400)->Day(),
+			"Date->Day() works with timestamp integers"
+		);
+	}
+	
+	function testMonth(){
+		$this->assertEquals('March', DBField::create_field('Date', 1206968400)->Month(),
+			"Date->Month() works with timestamp integers"
+		);
+	}
+	
+	function testShortMonth(){
+		$this->assertEquals('Mar', DBField::create_field('Date', 1206968400)->ShortMonth(),
+			"Date->ShortMonth() works with timestamp integers"
+		);
+	}
+	
 	function testLongDate() {
 		$this->assertEquals('31 March 2008', DBField::create_field('Date', 1206968400)->Long(),
 			"Date->Long() works with numeric timestamp"
@@ -81,6 +111,12 @@ class DateTest extends SapphireTest {
 			"Date->Long() works with D/M/YYYY"
 		);
 	}
+	
+	function testFull(){
+		$this->assertEquals('31 Mar 2008', DBField::create_field('Date', 1206968400)->Full(),
+			"Date->Full() works with timestamp integers"
+		);
+	}
 
 	function testSetNullAndZeroValues() {
 		$date = DBField::create_field('Date', '');
diff --git a/tests/model/DatetimeTest.php b/tests/model/DatetimeTest.php
index 274190a6a..604cfb18b 100644
--- a/tests/model/DatetimeTest.php
+++ b/tests/model/DatetimeTest.php
@@ -50,5 +50,43 @@ class SS_DatetimeTest extends SapphireTest {
 		$date = DBField::create_field('SS_Datetime', 0);
 		$this->assertEquals('1970-01-01 00:00:00', $date->getValue(), 'Numeric zero is UNIX epoch time');
 	}
+	
+	function testExtendedDateTimes() {
+		$date = DBField::create_field('SS_Datetime', '1500-10-10 15:32:24');
+		$this->assertEquals('10 Oct 1500 15 32 24', $date->Format('d M Y H i s'));
+		
+		$date = DBField::create_field('SS_Datetime', '3000-10-10 15:32:24');
+		$this->assertEquals('10 Oct 3000 15 32 24', $date->Format('d M Y H i s'));
+	}
+	
+	function testNice() {
+		$date = DBField::create_field('SS_Datetime', '2001-12-31 22:10:59');
+		$this->assertEquals('31/12/2001 10:10pm', $date->Nice());
+	}
+	
+	function testNice24() {
+		$date = DBField::create_field('SS_Datetime', '2001-12-31 22:10:59');
+		$this->assertEquals('31/12/2001 22:10', $date->Nice24());
+	}
+	
+	function testDate() {
+		$date = DBField::create_field('SS_Datetime', '2001-12-31 22:10:59');
+		$this->assertEquals('31/12/2001', $date->Date());
+	}
+	
+	function testTime() {
+		$date = DBField::create_field('SS_Datetime', '2001-12-31 22:10:59');
+		$this->assertEquals('10:10pm', $date->Time());
+	}
+	
+	function testTime24() {
+		$date = DBField::create_field('SS_Datetime', '2001-12-31 22:10:59');
+		$this->assertEquals('22:10', $date->Time24());
+	}
+	
+	function testURLDateTime(){
+		$date = DBField::create_field('SS_Datetime', '2001-12-31 22:10:59');
+		$this->assertEquals('2001-12-31%2022:10:59', $date->URLDateTime());
+	}
 
 }