January 27

  • 1916 The British Military Service Act introduced conscription, initially for single men aged 18–41, with various exemptions. An attempt over two years later to extend it to Ireland was dropped in the face of massive nationalist opposition.
  • 1973 Under the terms of the Paris Accords, a ceasefire agreement was signed by all the contending parties in the Vietnam War, in which 55,337 Americans lost their lives.