What was going on when I was born?

Columbia College, the Ivy League's only remaining all-male college, will soon begin accepting women unless Barnard College, its sister institution, agrees to more coeducation. In an interview, Michael I. Sovern, the president of Columbia University, said that single-sex undergrduate educataon was ''anachronistic'' and that he would like to begin accepting female undergraduates as early as the fall of 1983. Given the longstanding relationship between the two schools, however, he said that another solution would be to increase the amount of contact in the dormitories, dining rooms and classrooms between the 2,850 Columbia and 2,500 Barnard students. ''Columbia College will become a coeducational institution,'' he said. ''The only issue is whether this will be accomplished unilaterally or in collaboration with Barnard. I have left that choice to Barnard.''

The nation's three largest auto manufacturers today reported an increase in sales of 9.8 percent over last year in the May 11-20 selling period, but analysts were not encouraged by the increase. Harvey Heinbach of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith said the sales results were ''very, very bad.'' ''The same period last year was the pits, about the bottom,'' of Detroit's automotive depression, and sales have not improved to acceptable levels, he added. While some analysts disagree, Arvid Jouppi, an analyst for John Muir & Company, said that the recent rise in prime lending rates had affected sales. ''People just don't visit the showroom when interest rates go above 18 percent,'' he said.

Two Soviet astronauts piloted their Soyuz-T 4 spacecraft to a soft landing in Central Asia yesterday for the successful conclusion of the final mission to the Earth-orbiting Salyut 6 space station, which for nearly four years has been the sturdy base for record-setting tests of human endurance and the centerpiece of the Russian space program. Even though the Soviet Union has not said so officially, another space station is expected to replace the 21-ton cylindrical Salyut 6, which is about the size of a small mobile home. According to American analysts of the Soviet program, the new vehicle could be more complex and capable of being enlarged through attached modules. 4 Test Flights Successful Further evidence that the Russians may have reached a transition point in their space program was a statement made last week by a Soviet astronaut, Leonid Popov, that there would be no more flights with the old-model Soyuz spacecraft.

An article on Monday reporting the marriage of Dr. Arnold Jan Levine incorrectly identified the bride. She was Felicia Alta Zimmerman.

A 25-year-old Army private already under indictment in the fatal shooting of three black men in Buffalo was indicted yesterday in the murder of a dark-skinned Hispanic man, one of four men stabbed to death on Dec. 22 in mid-Manhattan. The soldier, Joseph G. Christopher, was also charged with the nonfatal stabbing of a black man the same day. District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau of Manhattan, who announced the latest indictments at a news conference, said the investigation was continuing in an effort to see whether Private Christopher, who is white, was linked to the three other murders of blacks and another nonfatal knifing of a black during an eight-hour period on Dec. 22. Held in Buffalo Jail Private Christopher was charged with the murder of Luis Rodriguez, 19, of 1704 Seward Avenue, the Bronx. The soldier, who has pleaded not guilty to the upstate slayings, is being held in the Erie County Jail in Buffalo. He will be brought to New York City in a few weeks for arraignment, officials said.

The Cabinet of Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani resigned today as a result of the revelation that hundreds of highranking officials were members of a secret Masonic lodge. The Government's fall became inevitable when the Socialists, the key partners of the Christian Democrats in the four-party coalition, refused to go along with Mr. Forlani's plans for a ''small Cabinet reshuffle.'' Mr. Forlani is a Christian Democrat. The Socialists want a new Government. They have served notice that they will insist that their own leader, Bettino Craxi, be given a chance to become Prime Minister. If he succeeds, it would be the first time since the end of World War II that a Christian Democrat was not Prime Minister. Italy has had 40 Governments since the war.

Angel Claudio, a 16-year-old Brooklyn youth, admitted to the Queens District Attorney that he had killed Stephen Zwickert, a high school honors student who was shot as he was returning home from a prom last year on May 15. In fact, days after the killing, Angel Claudio got in touch with a private lawyer and through him, arranged to surrender. But now, officials close to the case say, there is a chance that Mr. Claudio - who was charged with second-degree murder, attempted robbery and possession of a deadly weapon - may never stand trial. And if he does go to trial, they say, it may be difficult to obtain a conviction. A State Supreme Court justice in Queens ruled on May 14 that Mr. Claudio's admissions could not be used in court because the suspect's rights had been violated - not by the police or the district attorney, but by the defendant's own lawyer, whom the judge called incompetent. The lawyer, Mark J. Heller, has offices in Manhattan and Mineola, L.I.

''EATING out'' suddenly has new meaning in New York. It takes only a week or two of sunshine and gentle weather before parks, squares, streets and avenues blossom with bouquets of striped umbrellas that shade the food carts dispensing an international menu of hot and cold temptations. In the old days we had only the blue and orange umbrellas denoting the hot dogs of Sabrett, plus pretzel and ice cream vendors. Today the peripatetic nosher can choose from Mexican tacos, Middle Eastern falafel, Greek souvlaki, Chinese Fu Manchu stew, Japanese tempura, so-called New York-style steak sandwiches and true New York-style hot dogs and egg creams, Afghanistan kofta kebabs and Caribbean beef or chicken curry. The city's largest and most dazzling permanent summer food festival takes place Mondays through Fridays, from about 11:45 A.M. to 2 P.M., reaching from 46th to 55th Streets along the Avenue of the Americas, perhaps more appropriately called, from now until late September, Avenue of the Street Eaters. It is no surprise that this superfest is laid out along the Avenue of the Americas. The gigantic new buildings provide the lunchtime street population to support the carts; being set back from the sidewalk, they offer minisquares and parks with ledges that serve as seats, welcome mats to which New Yorkers and out-of-town visitors respond. Those who do not eat, turn toward the sun like human phototropists.

In a ruling with significant financial implications for Northeastern energy consumers, the Supreme Court today declared unconstitutional a Louisiana tax on natural gas that is extracted from the Gulf of Mexico and processed in Louisiana. The 7-to-1 decision invalidated Louisiana's ''first use tax,'' which has generated more than $200 million a year for the state since it was enacted in 1978. The burden of the state tax fell almost entirely on out-of-state consumers, and the revenues have been held in escrow since Maryland, New York and six other Actors Equity's 50-year-old system of licensing and regulating theatrical agents was ruled immune from antitrust suits. Page C23. states sued Louisiana in 1979. New Jersey, the Federal Government and 17 pipeline companies subsequently joined the plaintiff states.

The Polaroid Corporation's stock price rose sharply yesterday in anticipation of today's introduction of a new instant camera and film, apparently because of the belief among some investors that it might involve a revolutionary advance, such as the use of 35-millimeter film. The stock finished the day on the New York Exchange at 30 3/8, up 2 7/8. Wall Street analysts attributed the gain to reports that the new system was generally expected to represent one of the company's biggest breakthroughs in instant photography and that it might use 35-millimeter film. Conventional 35-millimeter film produces clearer images than any available instant-format film at a substantally lower cost.

International A milestone in Soviet space missions was apparently marked. Two Soviet astronauts landed their Soyuz spacecraft in Central Asia after making the final mission to the Earth-orbiting Salyut 6 space station. A more sophisticated space station is expected to replace the Salyut 6, which has been the base for Moscow's record-setting tests of human endurance for nearly four years. (Page A1, Column 1.) Italy's Cabinet resigned after the four parties in the coalition could not agree on how to deal with a major scandal. Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani, a Christian Democrat, stepped down after the coalition disagreed on how to cope with the revelation that hundreds of top officials had belonged to a secret Masonic lodge. (A1:2.)

AT this time of year the impulse to picnic is almost irresistible - whether it's at the beach, in the park, at baseball games, tennis matches, open-air music festivals or simply in backyards or on rooftops. And there is a particular sense of well-being that comes from digging into creative, enticing picnic fare instead of those typical lunch-box assortments of tuna fish or peanut butter sandwiches. It more than compensates for the planning and effort required to prepare an outdoor feast of Oriental noodle salad and lemon grilled chicken followed by whole ripe strawberries to eat before the action starts in the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Or empanadas, crudites with tangy salsa verde and ripe melon for lunch on a Long Island beach. Or the connoisseur's hero sandwich made with the best French bread, Black Forest ham, prosciutto, mortadella, soppressata, thin slices of imported provolone, roasted peppers, tomato, onion and vinegar and oil, to be savored at some scenic spot en route to a weekend retreat or to camp for visiting day. Although the possibilities are extremely varied, not every food that can be enjoyed cold or at room temperature is suitable for the picnic basket. Even when food is kept and transported in a cooler of some sort, the heat usually manages to penetrate, especially once the cooler has been opened. And on a warm day, rapid spoilage that may cause food poisoning can result.