Christine Jorgensen was born George Jorgensen Jr. on May 30, 1926, in the Bronx, New York City. After graduating high school, Jorgensen served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Jorgensen learned about the idea of performing sex reassignment surgery after her time in the military. In 1951, she flew to Denmark and began a course of medical treatment. She became one of the first people in the country to openly undergo a "sex-change" procedure, and on December 1, 1952, the American public learned about her transformation when she made headlines. She accepted her new identity and adopted the name Christine Jorgensen.