What was going on when I was born?

WEST POINT, N.Y., Jan. 24--More than half of the first women to graduate from the United States Military Academy will be assigned to combat branches, mostly at their own request. They will, however, be barred by law from specialties likely to involve close combat.

Patricia Koppmann, the South Dakota housewife who last year filed a lawsuit against her state Blue Shield organization after it refused to pay her surgical claims for breast reconstruction after cancer surgery, said yesterday that the company had changed its policy and that all of her claims had been paid.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24--Politically as well as diplomatically, President Carter's State of the Union Address was a forceful stroke that has added for the moment to the momentum of his victory Monday night in Iowa and complicated the task of his opponents.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24--The House voted overwhelmingly today to support President Carter's request that the United States press for the transfer, cancellation or boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow this summer.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (AP)--New orders received by United States factories for durable goods rose a modest six-tenths of 1 percent in December, but auto orders continued to drop, the Commerce Department said today.

Texaco Inc. reported yesterday that its fourth-quarter profit rose 62.6 percent, and the Gulf Oil Corporation announced a 54.4 percent increase.

"What's it good for?" asked Stuart Pivar incredulously, looking somewhat put off yesterday because the quintessence of his Moped-inspired electric Microcar was not immediately comprehended by his audience.

Prominent feminists and the leaders of various women's groups reacted cautiously yesterday to the prospect that women might be required to register for the draft. Most opposed the idea of draft registration for either men or women but added that in the event of registration, women should not be exempted.

The Chrysler Corporation, in an effort to increase sagging sales, has announced an innovative marketing program that includes a 30-day or 1,000mile money-back guarantee and payments of $50 to people who test-drive its cars, as long as they buy some brand of car.

Like a glittering magnet, the soaring price of gold has sucked old jewelry from dresser drawers and drawn eager sellers to 47th Street, Manhattan's jewelry and diamond center. The object is to transform old jewelry into new cash. But as things turn out, it is hard to pin down the price, or even the weight of what one has to sell.