1864 –Thomas John MacLagan begins working at Dundee Royal Infirmary, where his use ofsalicin to treat patients lays the groundwork for the development ofaspirin.[4]
1879 - Foundation stone laid for new home ofDundee Royal Asylum atLiff. The institution will completely transfer there from the site in Albert Street by October 1882.[13]
1918 – Association of Jute Spinners and Manufacturers founded in Dundee, initially to protect the prices of its members' products.[51]
1919 - The Kingsway opens to the public, becoming the first ring road system in the UK.
1920 - Several of Dundee's leading jute firms including Cox Brothers, Gilroy and Sons and J. and A. D. Grimond are amalgamated as Jute Industries Ltd.[52]
Timex strike: Industrial dispute between workers and management takes place over seven months resulting in the closure of the factory and the loss of hundreds of jobs.[67]
Discovery Point, a visitor centre dedicated to theRRS Discovery, opens.
1994 – Abertay University gains university status.
The Dundee Waterfront project launches with the aim of transforming the city's waterfront by 2031.
2001 Morgan Academy fire: A fire engulfs Morgan Academy and results in pupils and staff to be decanted to the former Rockwell High School site. The damaged school is then repaired and reopened in 2004.
NHS Tayside announces that they have "effectively eliminated"hepatitis C.[83]
BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, scheduled to be hosted at Camperdown Country Park, is cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Plans for an Eden Project visitor attraction are revealed for Dundee.
Camperdown Golf Course closes amid cuts by Dundee City Council.
Rockstar Dundee is established after Ruffian Games is taken over byRockstar Games, marking the game company’s return to Dundee for the first time in 21 years.
Debenhams close their department store in the Overgate Centre.
2021
Dundee is named as the UK's only "City of the Future" byCognizant.[84]
The Caird Hall operates as a mass COVID‑19 vaccination centre in February under the direction of NHS Tayside and delivered around 135,000 vaccine doses before it closed in September.
Emanata Studios is established as a division of Beano Studios by DC Thomson.
2022
2022 Kirkton riot: Disturbance takes place in the Kirkton area of the city which leads to multiple arrests.
Dundee, along withPerth andFife forma bid to be UK City of Culture in 2025, but the bid does not get shortlisted.
BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend takes place at Camperdown Country Park for the second time, after it was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dundee becomes the first Scottish city to host the event twice.
Mills Observatory,Broughty Castle Museum and Caird Park Golf Course are earmarked for closure by Dundee City Council to cut costs. Mills Observatory is later saved from closure following a resurgence in visitor numbers whilst the decision on Broughty Castle Museum is deferred.
The Competitive Games Lab and Wacom Cintiq Lab opens at Abertay University, specialising in research and development in gaming, esports and digital art.
Planning permission is approved for Eden Project Dundee.
Plans to repurpose the Wellgate Centre into a new college campus operated by Dundee and Angus College are unveiled.
2025
Broughty Castle Museum is given £50,000 of funding to continue operating for a year, after previously being earmarked for closure.
Mills Observatory records its 2024/25 season as its best on record and receives £5,000 of funding from Culture & Business Scotland to refurbish ahead of its 90th anniversary season.
University of Dundee reveals a £35 million deficit which resulted in 632 jobs being put under threat. TheScottish Government subsequently gives the university a £22 million bailout.[87]
TheCoSTAR Realtime Lab opens at Dundee’s waterfront, specialising in developing new technologies for TV, film and gaming.
LIVEHOUSE Dundee, a multi-purpose live entertainment venue opens at the former Green's Playhouse site.
Caird Park Golf Course closes following cuts from Dundee City Council.
Frasers opens up their new department store in the Overgate Centre, replacing Debenhams which closed in 2020.
The inaugural Dundee Economic Summit is held by the Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce.
University of Dundee principal Shane O'Neill resigns following an independent investigation which revealed financial mismanagement at the university.[88]
Dundee is announced as the host city for theScottish Album of the Year Award which is set to take place at the Caird Hall up to 2027.
Doof in the Park, an EDM festival organised byHannah Laing, is launched and takes place in Camperdown Country Park. A second edition for 2026 was announced shortly after the 2025 edition.
ThePSWaverley returns to Dundee for the first time since 1984.
Dundee hosts the Scots Language Awards for the second time.
RRSDiscovery marks 100 years as a designated Royal Research Ship. To celebrate, the2012 RRSDiscovery ship, named after the 1901 ship built in Dundee, returns to the city for the first time in two years.
Canadian singerJustin Bieber makes an unannounced visit to Dundee, where he films his music video for “Bad Honey” in a city centre bar.[89]
^Kenneth Baxter (2018). "University College, Dundee and the Great War". In Kenefick, William; Patrick, Derek (eds.).Tayside at War. Dundee: Abertay Historical Society. p. 83 (footnote 1).ISBN978-0-900019-65-4.