Former President Jimmy Carter's body lays in state at the U.S. Capitol prior to his state funeral Thursday. The funeral will take place at the Washington National Cathedral.

The ceremonies will conclude in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, where he will be buried beside his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, who passed away in 2023. Together, the Carters had long planned their modest resting place in Plains, where they began their lives together on a peanut farm.

A national day of mourning is a day to honor and pay respects to a revered public figure who has died. Here's what else to know.