AKIPRESS.COM - Today, November 27, the United State and Canada as well as the rest of the world celebrate Thanksgiving Day - a holiday of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.

The holiday is usually marked on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada.

Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, and has long been celebrated in a secular manner as well.

Here are some Thanksgiving facts compiled by USNEWS: 

1. $2.4 Billion – Thanksgiving Dinner Consumer Spending

Americans are expected to shell out nearly $2.4 billion this Thanksgiving to stock up on turkey, stuffing, potatoes and other holiday staples, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Statistic Brain research firm.

An estimated 51 million turkeys will be consumed in the U.S. on Turkey Day, out of roughly 248 million raised in America this year. The USDA expects turkeys to cost between $1.12 and $1.16 per pound this holiday season, according to the Lafayette Journal & Courier.

2. 46.3 Million – Number of Americans Traveling for Thanksgiving

An estimated 46.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving dinner, the highest number of Turkey Day travelers since 2007, according to AAA.

The 41.3 million people who travel by car will benefit from a national average gas price of $2.85 per gallon, down from $3.28 on Thanksgiving last year.

3. 140.1 Million – Number of Shoppers Expected Over Thanksgiving Weekend

Projections for 2014 Thanksgiving Weekend shopping are down slightly from last year, when 140.3 million people were expected to turn out, according to the National Retail Federation.

About 92 million shoppers turned out on Black Friday alone in 2013, raising the previous shopping benchmark of 89 million set in 2012, according to The New York Times and the NRF.

4. 9 – Number of People Who Have Died Black Friday Shopping

Nine people have died since 2006, and another 90 have reported injuries, in relation to Black Friday shopping, according to the cheerfully-titled blackfridaydeathcount.com.

A reported 59 people have been injured while Black Friday shopping at Wal-Mart, while Toys "R" Us and Kohl's, the major retailers with the next-highest injury count, carry three injuries apiece since 2006. People across the country have been shoved, stabbed, trampled, pepper-sprayed and shot while shopping on the day after Thanksgiving.

5. 30 Pounds – Weight of America's Average Domestic Turkey

The average male wild turkey weighs between 16 and 24 pounds, while females average between 8 and 10 pounds, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation. But their mutant cousins raised for slaughter have been bred to gargantuan size. Popcorn and Caramel, the two turkeys pardoned by President Barack Obama in 2013, both weighed more than 37 pounds, according to the White House.

Bigger isn't always better for turkeys. Turkeys bred to unnaturally large sizes often suffer bone deformities and health complications, rarely living as long as their wild counterparts, according to the Humane Society. A large number of turkeys reportedly balloon to such massive size that they can no longer reproduce on their own.

USNEWS' Andrew Soergel contributed to this story.