The stress corrosion cracking phenomenon has been extensively investigated in recent years due to its implications for engineering reliability/safety and economic/environmental consequences. The impact of related failures has been felt or recognized in all major industries: nuclear, fossil, oil-and-gas, petrochemical and processing, paper-and-pulp, aircraft, etc. This article provides a perspective on the related recent research trends emphasizing the commonalty of issues, the phenomenological characteristics, the remedial or control measures, and their evolution; these aspects are elucidated using specific applications and alloy-environment systems from the various industries. Also, developments in monitoring, inspection, and techniques/concepts for better understanding or resolution of the stress corrosion cracking phenomenon are discussed. The stress corrosion cracking is treated as a generic phenomenon of engineering significance showing that the vast amount of research on it has led to a common and improved understanding of the key variables and to certain principles useful in its engineering management.