What was going on when I was born?

IC Industries, a diversified railroading company most widely known for its Pet foods and Midas mufflers, yesterday sweetened its offer for nearly 50 percent of the Sunbeam Corporation to $36 a share. The two-step merger plan - $36 in cash now for 7.25 million Sunbeam shares to be followed later by an unaltered share-for-share exchange for the remaining 7.1 million shares in public hands - would place a value on the deal of some $480 million in cash and stock. On the surface the increase seemed unnecessary, particularly because IC's earlier offer of $32 a share for the home appliance manufacturer was already heavily oversubscribed. But Wall Street analysts said the strategic move came as no surprise.

''Nobody could have prevented it. The incident occurred in one or two seconds.

The Egyptian Government said today that it had dismissed 18 army officers whom it described as Moslem religious fanatics since President Anwar el-Sadat's assassination last Tuesday. A close friend of the late President also disclosed today that Mr. Sadat had said that Moslem extremists, including an Egyptian intelligence officer, planned to kill him during a public appearance on Sept. 26 but that the plot was discovered by the police. The authorities have blamed extremists in the Egyptian Army for the assassination and have stepped up security measures throughout the country as part of a state of emergency that is to last a year. Photographs Raise Questions But they have not explained why President Sadat's personal security force did not surround and protect him during the attack at a military parade here. Questions about the efficacy, if not the loyalty, of the guards were first raised by publication on Wednesday of a series of extraordinary photographs in Al Akhbar, Egypt's largest daily newspaper. More questions were raised today by Mayo, the weekly newspaper of Mr. Sadat's National Democratic Party. In the same issue, Egypt's new leader, Hosni Mubarak, defended the presidential bodyguards. Mr. Mubarak is expected to be overwhelmingly confirmed as Egypt's next President tomorrow as about 12 million Egyptians are to vote in a national referendum. (Page A16.)

Teen-agers will tell you the rules of traveling in the city. ''The key is to look like you don't have any money,'' said Theresa O'Neill, 17, of Staten Island. ''We always travel in a crowd,'' said Matthew Ahern, 14, of Brooklyn. ''I try not to take the train if it's after 11 P.M.,'' said Mathieu Wiepert, 15, of Queens. The teen-age world of dating and discos, of track meets and drama club, of hanging out with friends at favorite stores is haunted in New York City by the problem of how to get there safely. Teen-agers, despite the discomfort of their parents, still make frequent use of the city's public transportation, but their travels are hardly carefree. Wary but Stubborn In interviews with high school students throughout the city, a picture emerged of an extremely wary slice of the city's population that is frequently victimized by muggers on buses and subways. Yet the teen-agers are stubborn and fatalistic about using the transit system, and except for a small group whose parents supply taxi money or the family car, they have no alternative if they want to move about.

German conservative pays call on friends in U.S. A2 Exiled Salvadoran calls for peace talks A3 Dominicans admonish Bush on sugar A3 Around the World A5 Mrs. Thatcher under attack by party members A6 Gold ingots from Arctic are divided in Murmansk A9 Japan sees Arafat visit as oppor- tunity for broader accord A10 P.L.O. observer at U.N. hails ex- Presidents' call for talks A11 Reagan has about a week left in struggle over Awacs deal A16 Ex-President Carter says he will lobby senators on Awacs sale A16 Austria puts P.L.O. contacts in doubt over reaction on Sadat A16 Egypt voting today to elect Muba- rak President A16 Government/Politics Audit criticizes New York City program to avert foster care B4 Excerpts from debate between Florio and Kean B6 Law firm accused of requesting collusion in suit against Watt B8 Women at rally critice Reagan on rights proposal B8 F.B.I. suspends fingerprint checks for banks and agencies B12 Washington Talk Briefing A20 Ireland's Ambassador, a voice of moderation, is going home A20 Nancy Reagan's image is sensi- tive issue at White House A20 Required reading A20 PARKING REGULATIONS Because of the Jewish holiday of Succoth, alternate-side parking is sus- pended in New York City today and tomorrow. All other rules are in effect. Science Times How a huge antenna can broad- cast into the silent sea C1 Dorothy Sayers' poison is a treat for chemists C1 Education: form of new G.I. Bill still in doubt C1 Science Watch C2 Live fish warn scientists that water is toxic C3 Science Q&A C4 About Education: Hesburgh earned respect the hard way C4 General Around the Nation A18 Florida judge, under inquiry, asks removal from duties A18 Conservative Dartmouth student paper making waves A18 Two cities study withdrawing from nuclear plant project B13 Religion Group reports smuggling of Bibles into China B10 Church school, closed by judge, resumes classes in secret B11 Arts/Entertainment Rockefeller Collection opens new Asia Society Gallery C7 ''Marlowe,'' a rock musical about Elizabethans, opens C7 After two years, ABC Motion Pic- tures plans 3 films C7 Richard Fredrickson presents a double-bass recital C9 Spanish-speaking stars at ''Gran Fiesta'' in Garden C10 Country music awards are pre- sented in Nashville C10 Diana Trilling's account of Jean Harris's trial is reviewed C11 Linda Chesis gives flute recital at Met Museum C11 Jango Edwards unveils his one- man comic act C12 Two exhibitions show Olmsted's landscape designs C21 Three-hour ''Callie & Son'' on CBS-TV tonight C23 Style Notes on Fashion B20 Vass: a knack for knits B20 Clothes for night owls B20 Sports Giants will stress passing attack B22 Jets, amid defensive problems, take league lead in sacks B22 Bills' trio is bulwark of defense B22 Yanks and A's revive spitball con- troversy on eve of playoff B23 Expos to start Gullickson against Dodgers' Hooton B23 Dave Anderson on a family reun- ion at Yankee Stadium B23 Former Yanks on A's seek re- venge B23 Cey returns to Dodger lineup fol- lowing arm injury B24 Phillies due for many changes B25 Pleasant Colony, Derby winner, is retired from racing B26 Features/Notes Notes on People B18 Sports People B26 Going Out Guide C22 News Analysis Bernard Gwertzman examines U.S. commitments in Mideast A14 Marcia Chambers on the legal issues in the Cody inquiry A19 Ronald Sullivan examines U.S. challenge to hospitals' billing B19 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A22 Hiding from Social Security The education of alien children Ill winds Letters A22 Sydney H. Schanberg: tailoring ''rachmones'' A23 Tom Wicker: following Sadat's example A23 Andrew Cockburn: Weinberger ''statistics'' A23 Lynn Hecht Schafran: Reagan vs. women A23

Maj. Gen. Gaafar al-Nimeiry, President of the Sudan, said today that he expected Libya to invade the Sudan through Chad in the near future and that such an invasion was ''going to be pushed by the Soviet Union and its bloc.'' In an interview, General Nimeiry said that, as a result of his talks here with Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr., American arms deliveries to the Sudan would be accelerated. There was also discussion of possible Sudanese participation in the Rapid Deployment Force exercise scheduled by the United States in Egypt in November. General Nimeiry said he had also discussed plans with the new Egyptian administration for having Sudanese forces visit Egypt and Egyptian forces visit Sudan as part of a joint training exercise under their mutual defense treaty.

White House officials are increasingly resigned to the likelihood of slow economic growth, possibly even a recession extending through the spring of 1982. They are seeking to prevent the economic downturn from damaging Republican chances in the election next year. White House aides involved in carrying out Mr. Reagan's economic policies said in interviews that they feared that if the unemployment rate crept past 8 percent from its present level of 7.5 percent unemployment would replace inflation as the chief issue among voters. Some forecasters have predicted such a rise.

President Reagan said today that he would not block Texas International Airlines' bid to acquire Continental Air Lines, clearing the way for the takeover. The decision, disclosed in a letter to the Civil Aeronautics Board, culminated eight months of legal and regulatory wrangling between the two carriers. Continental had bitterly opposed T.I.A.'s acquisition effort. The C.A.B. recommended in August that Mr. Reagan approve T.I.A.'s bid. A Presidential decision was needed because international routes are involved.

To the casual visitor, the sleek gray Ford Motor Company plant here appears to be exactly like its cousin at Halewood, England, outside Liverpool. At each, shiny Escorts, Ford's hot new car, roll off bustling production lines dominated by robot welders and vast automated presses punching out steel as if it were aluminum foil. But the resemblance ends at physical appearance. This plant produces some 1,200 cars a day, more than the 1,015 that Ford planners had anticipated, and requires 7,762 workers. Its counterpart at Halewood, with virtually identical equipment and production targets, has averaged only about 800 cars a day this year, and 10,040 workers have been needed to achieve even that production level. ''Our standards say it should take something like 20 man-hours of labor in both the body and assembly plants to make an Escort,'' said Bill Hayden, vice president of manufacturing for Ford Europe Inc., in an interview. ''At Saarlouis, they do it with 21 hours. At Halewood it takes 40 hours.''

VALIUM, one of the most intensely scrutinized drugs in recent years, is about to be scrutinized again. Is it as dangerous to unsuspecting users as critics contend? Or has the drug been criticized too much, its faults magnified out of all proportion to its virtues? These and other issues will be debated by scientific advisers to the World Health Organization next month as they review the misuse and abuse of the minor tranquilizers known as benzodiazepines. The international review stems from charges that the tranquilizers are used indiscriminately for trivial reasons and that many unwary victims end up ''hooked,'' unable to quit without suffering withdrawal symptoms. Most experts acknowledge that there have indeed been such abuses, perhaps on a large scale. But many believe the problem, in the United States at least, has largely been solved by extensive publicity, moderate regulation, and a precipitous drop in use of the tranquilizers. Prescriptions for Valium in this country plunged to 33.6 million in 1980 from a peak of 61.3 million in 1975. Long the most popular drug in America, Valium now ranks fourth.

New York State and local governments will have to spend $8 billion to $10 billion annually to keep their deteriorating bridges, roads, water mains, sewers, highways and other public facilities from worsening, according to estimates by analysts in the State Legislature. The analysts also estimated that if all substandard facilities in the state were replaced or repaired, the cost would be an additional $50 billion to $100 billion over the rest of the century. An investment of $8 billion to $10 billion a year would require the state and local governments to more than double their present level of spending for public works improvements. A recent study by the Census Bureau found that the state and its local governments were spending about $3.8 billion a year on such projects, according to Gordon M. Boyd, an Assembly research associate. Assembly Speaker Stanley Fink has made repair of public facilities a major personal concern, arguing that the state's economic future depended in part on being able to guarantee to businesses the basic services, including the ability to move their goods to market.

The Japanese Government reported today that its trade surplus with the United States climbed to a record $1.76 billion in September, surpassing the previous monthly record of $1.35 billion set in July. Moreover, the Finance Ministry, in releasing the preliminary figures for September, announced that Japan's surplus with all its trading partners was $2.35 billion - the third-highest figure in history and the largest surplus so far this year. Japan's trade surplus with the nations of the European Economic Community was $971 million for the month.