What was hot this summer?
As the Summer of 2015 approaches its unofficial end ... we pause a moment to take stock:
The top movie at the box office this summer was "Jurassic World," which grossed $643 million in the U.S. alone ... and more than $1.6 billion worldwide.
- "Jurassic World": Biggest global opener of all time
- How accurate is "Jurassic World" science? ("CBS This Morning")
- Paleontologists give "Jurassic World" science thumbs down (CBS News)
"Cheerleader," by the Jamaican singer Omi, is on track to become the most popular song of the summer, followed closely by Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again."
Two of the most-talked-about books of the summer were "Go Set a Watchman" by Harper Lee; and "The Girl in the Spider's Web" by David Lagercrantz, the newest installment in the Lisbeth Salander series, created by the late author Stieg Larsson.
- Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman" sets sales records (CBS Moneywatch)
- What's the message behind the new Harper Lee book? ("CBS This Morning")
- Harper Lee's new novel flips "To Kill a Mockingbird" themes
Topping the list of the most-visited national parks this summer were: the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina; Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee; and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California.
And just how hot was it this summer? The experts say July was the hottest month worldwide since records were first kept in 1880. The average temperature around the planet: 61.86 degrees F.