What was going on when I was born?

ICE SKATING, the winter pastime that can transform any city dweller, young or old, into a country child, is in full glide. In New York City and its suburbs this time of year, there is good skating on ponds and lakes and on artificial rinks, indoors and out. The one unhappy note in this winter's skating schedule has been the closing of Central Park's popular Wollman Memorial Rink, where a $5 million rehabilitation is under way. But the slack seems to have been taken up by the rink farther uptown in Central Park at 110th Street and by such Manhattan arenas as Rockefeller Center and Sky Rink, at 450 West 33d Street. In New Jersey and in Westchester and Nassau Counties, the skating surface at dozens of lakes and ponds was good during the cold spell of recent weeks, and parks officials are hopeful that it will be so again by this weekend. And the skating there, often overseen by local park authorities, is as free as the chill in the air.

An article in The Times yesterday erroneously described an interview by The Detroit Free Press with Charles Jones, a former hostage. Mr. Jones said one hostage had delivered a note to a visiting clergyman, but he did not identify the hostage.

Paquito d'Rivera, the alto and soprano saxophonist formerly with Cuba's leading jazz group, Irakere, has recently arrived in this country with a style of jazz notable for its strong African flavor. He will present his own group, Havana/ New York, tonight at 9:30 at Soundscape, 500 West 52d Street. Havana/ New York features Ignacio Berroa, drummer, and Daniel Ponce, percussionist, also newcomers to New York; Russel Blake, bassist, and Hilton Ruiz, pianist. David Amram, composer and musician, will appear as a guest artist. Tickets are $5. Information: 581-7032. TIMES SQ. LUNCH FARE If you work in or near Times Square and tend to munch a sandwich at your desk, you might munch instead at the Quaigh Theater while enjoying a one-act play. The theater, in the Diplomat Hotel, 108 West 43d Street, has a winter lunchtime series weekdays at 1:15 in which members of the audience often bring paper-bag lunches. Playing tonight and next week is ''The Bond'' by Howard Brown, about the relationship between a grandfather and his grand-daughter, whom he blames for the death in childbirth of her mother - his own daughter. A contribution of $1.50 is asked, but not required. Students, the elderly and members of Actors Equity admitted free. Information: 221-9088.

Blue Bell Inc., the nation's second-largest jeans maker, said yesterday that it had received an offer from Allegheny Ludlum Industries Inc. to purchase Blue Bell for approximately $500 million in securities. But Blue Bell, which produces the Wrangler brand, quickly labeled the $40-a-share offer ''totally inadequate.'' Robert J. Buckley, chairman of Allegheny Ludlum, which is based in Pittsburgh, said that his company's management was ''completely surprised'' by Blue Bell's assertion that the offer was actually ''worth much less than $40.'' The offer consists of common stock, preferred stock and subordinated debentures.

International Poland's labor crisis grew more grave as the authorities issued their sternest warning in six months of recurrent turmoil. Asserting that the country was threatened by anarchy, the Government warned that it was ready to ''take the necessary steps'' to keep factories operating. The Government and the independent union agreed to hold talks today in an effort to end a wave of wildcat walkouts. (Page A1, Column 3.) President Reagan denounced Moscow for reserving ''the right to commit any crime, to lie, to cheat.'' Officials said that Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. had sent a message to Andrei A. Gromyko, the Soviet Foreign Minister, warning that a Soviet invasion of Poland could mean dire consequences for East-West relations. (A1:4-5.)

The price of gold fell as low as $485 an ounce here today - its first move below $500 in more than nine months. In later New York trading, however, gold for February delivery rose $8.80 on the Commodity Exchange Inc. to $515.80 an ounce, and the Republic National Bank quoted it at $513 an ounce, up $8. The decline in Europe came amid a general feeling among brokers that their clients are deserting gold. Apparently investors are attracted by high interest rates in the United States and are losing interest in gold as a hedge against uncertainty because global political tensions seem to be easing.

''All of us should remember that the Federal Government is not some mysterious institution comprised of buildings, files and paper.

President Reagan, warning of ''wildly skyrocketing deficits and runaway government,'' ordered a freeze on pending Federal regulations and abolished the Council on Wage and Price Stability. Speaking at his first news conference since becoming President, Mr. Reagan did not identify the targets of his proposed spending cuts, but he said those cuts are probably ''going to be bigger than anyone has ever attempted.'' (Page A1.) New York's role as a money center is jeopardized by banks that move their businesses out of state, Anthony B. Solomon, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, warned the New York State Bankers Association. Bankers at the meeting, however, did not restrain their enthusiasm for legislation pending in Delaware that would allow outof-state banks to establish banks there. Low tax rates are the key attraction in Delaware. (D1.)

Murders bring fear to Protestants on Ulster border A2 Japan plans to double foreign aid over five years A2 Marcos plans presidential elec- tions this year A3 Around the World A6 Iranians show journalists films of hostage interviews B6 Government/Politics Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hopeful about Reagan Administration A8 Reagan agrees to arrange meet- ing on Atlanta slayings A8 Reporters subdued at first Rea- gan news conference A13 Senate committee approves Dono- van to be Secretary of Labor A14 Reagan names Ambassador and Buckley to State Dept. posts A17 D'Amato to fill up to four Federal judgeships immediately B3 Koch holds out hope for more rather than less city services B3 Carey urges restoration of old power plants in state park B3 General Around the Nation A9 The man who looked for seed in ad for "grass" B3 Seventeen ex-hostages are cap- tives on flight to New York B6 Weekend Weekender Guide C1 Where to skate in the metropoli- tan area C1 Theater: Broadway C2 Has smoking on stage changed any C3 "Eminent Domain" in Prince- ton C3 Screen: At the Movies C8 New Face: David Morse in "In- side Moves" C8 "The Incredible Shrinking Woman," with Lily Tomlin C12 "Like a Turtle on Its Back" opens C14 Music: Free festival at Juilliard C5 Texas sax sound of Arnett Cobb C15 Larry Kert at St. Regis C15 Pearl Harbour singing on her own C15 Art: A Saturday guide to gallery hopping C1 Auctions C24 Books: Publishing C23 "Ellis Island" by Mark Helprin reviewed C23 "Black Mountain Breakdown" by Lee Smith reviewed C25 Restaurants C16 Style The Evening Hours D14 Per Spook: A spare freshness D14 Women bid Senate act on bias D14 Obituaries Louis J. Cardinali, regional direc- tor of Federal aviation agency D15 Harry W. Gribble, actor, play- wright and director D15 Sports Red Smith on the "You Could Look It Up" Awards A18 Rutledge admits conflicting state- ments on chin strap A18 Knicks beat Hawks, 114-111 A19 Jets revise their coaching assign- ments A19 Bulls end Celtics' streak at 13 games, 108-85 A19 B7 Grand jury said to enter point- shaving case A19 Small stables feel squeeze of Roosevelt strike A23 Features/Notes Notes on People C26 News Analysis Hedrick Smith on Reagan's evolv- ing policies A11 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A26 Taming the inflation monster The lost picture show The profit of despair Editorial notebook: test flight Letters A26 Tom Wicker: reforming the pri- mary reforms A27 Samuel Christensen: reduce fund- ing, institute competition A27 C. Fred Bergsten: Congress's "stalemate" system A27 Bayly Winder: on national stereo- typing A27

f814 By JUDITH CUMMINGS Two fleets of New York City subway cars with the worst performance records have been quietly transferred to new routes. Some employees of the Transit Authority have charged that its shifting of the cars was initiated by a City Council member who applied political pressure to improve the subway service in his southern Brooklyn district. The Council member, Samuel Horwitz of Brighton Beach, was asked about the move yesterday. He replied that the transfer - in one phase last August and another this month - represented no use of undue influence by him. He said the Transit Authority ordered some of the the reassignments in reponse to complaints by his constituents along the D line that vibration from the cars was damaging their houses.

President Reagan accused Soviet leaders today of reserving ''the right to commit any crime, to lie, to cheat,'' and his Administration disclosed a tough American message warning of dire consequences for East-West relations if Soviet troops invaded Poland. The President also rejected as unworthy of the American character any ''revenge'' against Iran for the hostage crisis. (Page A10.) State Department officials said today that Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. had sent a personal message to Foreign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko in the last few days asserting that any Soviet move into Poland could have long-lasting impact on Soviet-American relations.

Toxic shock syndrome, the rare but sometimes fatal disease that strikes primarily at young women who use tampons, appears to have declined dramatically in the United States during the last months of 1980. Between the end of September and the end of the year, the number of new cases reported monthly and verified by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta fell by more than 60 percent. The reasons for the decline are not yet entirely clear to researchers at the centers, but two factors are being evaluated. One is the removal of the Rely tampon from the market last September; the other is that tampon sales have generally fallen in the same period of time. But there is no doubt that the decline is real and not just a statistical fluke.