Many may not realize that thousands of Americans annually celebrate National Bacon Day every December 30. Honoring a breakfast staple with a day of observance might seem odd, but bacon is not your typical food.

The tasty snack has become a cultural obsession and a fixture of American pop culture. Who can forget eight-year-old King Curtis on ABC's Wife Swap running away when he is told he can't eat bacon? Or Ron Swanson, after being served a rather meager-looking steak, ordering a waiter to "just bring me all the bacon and eggs you have"?

To help you better understand the majesty of bacon, we've compiled a list of 15 economic, historic, and health facts about this wondrous food.*

1. Americans spend $5 billion on bacon ... annually

America is currently in the midst of a decades-long trend of "bacon mania." In 2018, bacon accounted for $4.9 billion in US sales, up from $4.7 billion the previous year and an increase of more than 20 percent from 2012.