What was going on when I was born?

Normally, Benjamin Wong rarely has time to chat during trading hours on New York's Commodity Exchange. His eyes dart from the overhead quote boards to the gold futures trading pit to the stack of order cards he keeps close to his chest. Now and then, he will dash into the pit, shouting and flailing this arms, the normal way of executing orders. Things are a little different right now, though. ''The markets are dull,'' said Mr. Wong, a gold trader for Rudolf Wolff Commodity Brokers Inc., the New York branch of the old London metals brokerage house. ''What we see here are floor traders trying to scalp a few dollars on relatively narrow price moves. In the gold pit, we see New York up a few dollars, then Hong Kong sells and vice versa. That's how it's been for months.''

Five British soldiers were killed today in an Irish Republican Army ambush apparently timed to coincide with the imminent death of another prison hunger striker. The soldiers died instantly when an armored personnel carrier in which they were riding on a quiet country road was blown up by a mine. The explosion scattered pieces of the nine-ton vehicle for several hundred yards. 'Just Lifted Up Into the Air' ''It just lifted up into the air and broke into bits,'' said a farmer who saw the explosion from his sheep meadow. ''I saw the soldiers and I knew right away they were dead. It was horrible.''

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted yesterday to create a historic district on a gilded stretch of Manhattan's East Side that abuts Central Park and forms an architectural evocation of old New York. The designation, which follows two years of debate and study, in effect confers landmark status on 1,044 buildings on nearly every block between 61st and 79th Streets and from Fifth to Lexington Avenue. The area is dominated by buildings in the beaux arts and neo-Georgian styles and represents what the commission called ''a remarkably cohesive ensemble.'' Significant Changes Barred Landowners are now automatically prohibited from significantly altering the facades of properties in the district unless they get approval from the commission or its staff.

The pretax profits of American corporations continued to rise in the first quarter of 1981 but at a slower rate than in the previous three months, the Commerce Department reported today. But another Commerce Department yardstick - profits from current production - rose at the highest annual rate in almost three years. The statistics were released as part of the department's report showing that inflation-adjusted gross national product rose at an annual rate of 8.4 percent in the first quarter, rather than the already hefty 6.5 percent reported last month.

Italian police sources said today that the man who is accused of shooting Pope John Paul II last week has told investigators that he had previously considered killing the British monarch, the Secretary General of the United Nations and the President of the European Parliament. The sources said the alleged assailant, Mehmet Ali Agca, made his startling statement yesterday morning in a conversation with Achille Gallucci, one of the magistrates assigned to the case. The account lent credence to the thesis that Mr. Agca's views are essentially anarchistic, growing out of a hatred of authority, rather than conventionally left-wing or right-wing. 'Positive Developments' Reported The Pope's condition continued to improve, with his temperature dropping to about 98.6, according to this morning's medical bulletin. The bulletin reported ''positive developments'' in his recovery, and the Pope's doctors said he had taken oral nourishment - sugared water and weak tea - for the first time since the shooting in St. Peter's Square last Wednesday.

International Syria's President and Philip C. Habib, President Reagan's envoy, had another discussion about the Syrian missiles in Lebanon, which Israel threatens to attack. Mr. Habib gave no details of the talks, saying only that he would continue his mediation efforts, and traveled to Israel for further talks with Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The Israeli Cabinet reportedly will meet today to discuss Mr. Habib's proposals. (Page A1, Column 4.) The man accused of shooting the Pope had considered other targets, according to Italian police sources. The suspect, Mehmet Ali Agca, reportedly told Italian magistrates investigating the assassination attempt that he had considered killing the British monarch, Secretary General Kurt Waldheim of the United Nations and Simone Veil, the President of the European Parliament. Meanwhile, the Pope continued to improve and his temperature dropped to 98.6. (A1:1.)

President Reagan has chosen Arthur F. Burns, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and one of his leading economic advisers, to be Ambassador to West Germany, the White House announced today. The White House pushed through a decision on the appointment yesterday and informed the Bonn Government early today, hours before Chancellor Helmut Schmidt's departure for Washington. During his visit the Chancellor is expected to suggest that the United States move up its schedule for discussions with the Soviet Union on medium-range nuclear weapons in Europe. A Bonn official said such a move would ''meet Mr. Schmidt's political considerations.'' (Page A10.)

The United States economy, as measured by the gross national product, grew at a surprising 8.4 percent annual rate in the first quarter of this year, much more rapidly than nearly anyone had anticipated. The Commerce Department, in reporting today its revision of the estimate of the quarter's G.N.P. - the nation's total output of goods and services - noted that the economy had registered its strongest quarterly growth since the spring of 1978, a period of economic expansion. The first G.N.P. estimate - a growth of 6.5 percent - had been announced by the department on April 20, before all the figures for the quarter were available. The 1.9 percent revision was the biggest on record.

The gross national product grew at an 8.4 percent annual rate in the first quarter, up from the 6.5 percent that the Commerce Department reported earlier. First-quarter inflation was also revised upward, prompting some economists to predict further credit-tightening. Some analysts said the report would make it more difficult for the Administration to push through its tax-cut plan. (Page A1.) Pretax profits of American corporations rose at an annual rate of 3.7 percent, to a seasonally adjusted $258.7 billion, in the first quarter, the Commerce Department reported. (D1.)

In Beirut, cowering in hallways becomes a way of life A3 Student unrest flares again among Albanians in Yugoslavia A3 Iranian gain in Abadan is less than reported A4 Bani-Sadr aide is arrested in Te- heran A5 Around the World A7 Turkey accuses National Action Party of fascist objectives A8 Poland's new worry: a sharp rise in crime A9 Schmidt would speed U.S.-Soviet talks on missiles in Europe A10 U.S. says it is not bound by two Soviet arms pacts A11 Basque home rule is becoming a reality A13 Giscard d'Estaing makes his fare- well to the French A15 Government/Politics Hale Boggs commemorated at Congressional Cemetery A16 Butz reported ready to admit guilt in tax evasion A17 Conservatives form a Council for National Policy A17 Senate panel votes to require bal- anced budgets A22 Astronauts gather at White House to honor shuttle's crew A22 Carl Perkins fights to save legisla- tion he helped adopt A22 Connecticut begins to phase in "workfare" program B2 New York State sells $3.05 billion in notes for school aid B3 New York State reviews tax credit given to Tiffany & Company B3 General Around the Nation A16 The Region B2 Rosoff's sells O'Neal brothers lease on building B3 Industry/Labor Union seeks to represent people on "workfare" B2 Living Section Food For Thai food, the right time and place C1 "Convenience" foods: better when made at home C1 Kitchen Equipment C2 60-Minute Gourmet C3 Brie de Meaux in the United States is rarely the real thing C4 Best Buys C9 Wine Talk: Comparing French and California bottles C20 Italian seized in Asti Spumante fraud C21 Living A life: moving, change, inse- curity C1 Metropolitan Diary C2 An Israel museum fete in the ancient style C3 Superseding the smoke-filled pool halls C12 The business of how to find a suitable job C13 Discoveries C14 Personal Health: Pets can cause disease C17 A fashion show with a lot of leg- work C22 Health/Science Solar-powered plane reaches record altitude of 14,300 feet A32 Reagan names Los Alamos physi- cist as science adviser A32 Arts/Entertainment Chinese pianist, Zhu Daming, stirs Cliburn contest C24 Motherwell turns down appoint- ment to Presidential panel C25 Cannes Film Festival booming de- spite crisis atmosphere C25 Karen Akers at Mickey's C25 Tagliavini sings concert version of "Fritz" C27 "Season of Glass," a new single by Yoko Ono C27 Punk individualists are steeped in tradition C27 Novels by John Jay Osborn Jr. and David Ritz reviewed C29 Caryl Churchill's "Cloud 9" is staged at Theater de Lys C30 "The Muppets Go to the Movies" on ABC-TV C31 Obituaries Hugo Friedhofer, won Oscar for "Best Years of Our Lives" A26 Sports Red Smith on Pete Rose's record path B4 Alsup is an old hand in new Indy role B4 Islanders poised for Stanley Cup sweep B5 North Stars' captain finally gets his chance B5 Baseball owners modify compen- sation proposal B5 Mets suffer through their silent spring B5 Loughery agrees to coach Hawks in three-year contract B6 Yanks' Gossage a fireman with firepower B7 N.F.L. is assailed as Raiders trial opens B7 Features/Notes Notes on People A24 About New York B3 Going Out Guide C29 News Analysis Hedrick Smith assesses the Rea- gan approach to U.S. allies A3 Martin Tolchin discusses conser- vative Democrats in Congress A20 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A30 Last, worst hope for transit Smoke over the national forests Retreat on remedial education Letters A31 James Reston: Schmidt of West Germany A31 Russell Baker: whose business is sin? A31 Dennis Kennedy: of Britain and Ireland A31 Tom Collier: to solve housing needs, mobile homes A31

''More on the arpeggio!'' shouted the conductor. 'Ba, ba, ba, ba!'' The 101 members of the New York City All-City High School Band shifted in their chairs and prepared to attack a problem passage in Dmitri Shostakovich's ''Folk Dances.'' The conductor tapped his baton. ''Let's go!'' Instantly, the auditorium of Art and Design High School, at 57th Street and Second Avenue, boomed with what the band's associate conductor, Martin Moser, calls ''the joy, energy and exuberance of the Russian people.'' Such sounds will fill Carnegie Hall - starting at 8 tonight - at the band's annual spring concert. A contribution of $3 is suggested for a ticket, with proceeds going to musical scholarships.

The following article is based on reporting by Edward T. Pound and Raymond Bonner and was written by Mr. Bonner. While building a multimillion-dollar real-estate empire, Governor Carey's new wife, Evangeline Gouletas-Carey, and her two brothers have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to various political committees and campaigns and have hired a number of former public officials. Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, for example, received $75,000 in contributions from the Gouletas family and their employees during his campaign last year for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Other beneficiaries included Mayor Jane M. Byrne of Chicago and Senator Alan Cranston, Democrat of California. In recent years, morever, several former Federal, state and city officials along with a former governor of the Federal Reserve Board, have been employed as advisers or lobbyists by the Gouletases' American Invsco Corporation.