mysql> create table test(tstamp timestamp); Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.03 sec) mysql> describe test; +--------+-----------+------+-----+-------------------+-------+ | Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra | +--------+-----------+------+-----+-------------------+-------+ | tstamp | timestamp | NO | | CURRENT_TIMESTAMP | | +--------+-----------+------+-----+-------------------+-------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql> INSERT INTO test(tstamp) VALUES('FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo'); Query OK, 1 row affected, 1 warning (1.18 sec) mysql> select * from test; +---------------------+ | tstamp | +---------------------+ | 0000-00-00 00:00:00 | +---------------------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec)