A smokestack is a tall chimney, usually made of brick or metal, designed to carry smoke and gases high into the air. Factories, power plants, and steamships use smokestacks to release the exhaust created when they burn coal, oil, or other fuels. The height matters: by pushing smoke far above ground level, smokestacks help keep the air at street level cleaner and easier to breathe.

During the Industrial Revolution, smokestacks became symbols of industrial power and progress. Cities filled with factories had skylines dominated by dozens of tall smokestacks releasing plumes of smoke. Old photographs show industrial cities like Pittsburgh or Manchester with so many smokestacks that the sky sometimes turned gray. Steamships crossing the ocean had massive smokestacks that passengers could spot from miles away. The Titanic had four enormous smokestacks, though one was decorative.

Today we use the term smokestack industries to describe traditional manufacturing businesses like steel mills, automobile plants, and chemical factories. While modern pollution controls have made smokestacks cleaner, these tall structures remain powerful reminders of the industrial age that transformed how people live and work.