What was going on when I was born?

''Rather than allow freedom of religion, they'd forbid any religion whatsoever.'' - Senator Ernest F. Hollings, Democrat of South Carolina, supporting the amendment. (A22:4.)

The Essex County Prosecutor said today that Assemblyman Anthony Imperiale had been identified as having been in charge of ''street operations'' for a Republican ballot-security task force in Newark on Election Day. Mr. Imperiale had previously denied any involvement in the security program, which is being investigated by the Prosecutor, George L. Schneider, following complaints by Democratic Party officials that it intimidated voters in the gubernatorial election on Nov. 3. Mr. Schneider said Mr. Imperiale's role in the operation had been disclosed by John A. Kelly, who was the director of the National Ballot Security Task Force in New Jersey. Republican Party officials have said that the task force was created to prevent voting frauds and that no proof of any intimidation of legitimate voters has been presented.

''All we'd be doing is inviting the states and local governments to produce all sorts of unconstitutional prayer programs.'' - Senator Lowell P. Weicker Jr., Republican of Connecticut, opposing voluntaryprayer legislation. (A22:4.)

His manner is reserved, almost stolid, and his dress is conservative - navy blue suit, french cuffs and the metal-framed glasses worn by so many Japanese businessmen. Yet Isao Nakauchi, the 59-year-old president of Daiei Inc., this nation's largest retailer, has been a kind of revolutionary in Japanese industry. Starting in 1957 with just one store and 13 workers, Mr. Nakauchi introduced the supermarket concept to Japan. The measure of his success is shown by the growth of Daiei (pronounced Die-ay) since then. Today it is a $5.5 billion-a-year diversified enterprise employing more than 17,000 people and operating about 170 stores. But in expanding, Mr. Nakauchi has led an assault on a key segment of Japanese society: the intricate network, built up over generations, of more than two million distribution and retail concerns. The retailers in particular tend to be small, family-run operations, with fewer than four employees apiece. There are conflicting pressures. Large-scale, efficient concerns like Daiei can sell goods for less than the small retailers and often set up their own distribution systems.

Amid the deregulatory fervor in Washington these days, Reese H. Taylor Jr., the Reagan Administration's appointee as chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission, has drawn criticism from Congressional leaders, and even senior Administration officials, for his lack of enthusiasm. Tomorrow, his early stewardship will be scrutinized for the first time, when members of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress hear Alfred E. Kahn, who guided airline deregulation at the Civil Aeronautics Board, examine the actions of the commission and weigh their effect on the course of trucking deregulation. Mr. Taylor will appear, too, along with two former I.C.C. members, Marcus Alexis and Thomas Trantum, and Thomas Gale Moore, an economist. Mr. Alexis served briefly as interim chairman before Mr. Taylor came. Early this year, Mr. Taylor, a Nevada lawyer who specialized in regulatory matters, criticized the policies of Mr. Alexis and Darius W. Gaskins, another predecessor, for liberally handing out operating licenses to trucking companies, often issuing even broader rights than applicants requested.

WITH depression the most widespread emotional illness in the United States, the National Institute of Mental Health began a series of collaborative studies of thousands of people in the early 1970's to understand its basic nature and compare the many methods used to treat it. Although these research efforts will continue at least through the middle of this decade at university centers around the country, some startling findings have already emerged. Contrary to well-established beliefs, for example, elderly people do not suffer more severe or longer episodes of depression than younger patients. In fact, early data from the Collaborative Program on the Psychobiology of Depression show that the lowest rate of recovery is found in the 30-to-49 age group, with individuals under 30 or over 50 doing significantly better.

International A U.S. negotiating position on arms will be formally announced by President Reagan in a few days, according to high Administration officials. They said that Mr. Reagan would make public proposals to Moscow for eliminating or reducing medium-range missiles in Europe to show American support for arms control and to counter antinuclear campaigns in Western Europe. (Page A1, Columns 2-3.) The primary Soviet problem is food, Leonid I. Brezhnev told leaders of the Soviet Communist Party. Acknowledging that a third year of drought had caused great harm to the economy, the Soviet leader pledged to develop a comprehensive program to improve the entire system of food production and distribution. (A1:1.)

President Reagan and his wife,Nancy, in the White House study, which was recently redecorated under the supervision of Mrs. Reagan.

An article on the Washington Talk page Nov. 4 about emerging Democratic leaders incorrectly stated the positions of two Representatives on oil deregulation. Tim Wirth of Colorado opposes deregulation; Toby Moffett of Connecticut supports it.

Saudi Arabia said today that its acting delegate to the United Nations had not been authorized to interpret its peace plan for the Middle East. The delegate, Gaafar M. Allagany, said in an interview published yesterday that the eight-point Saudi plan put forward in August by Crown Prince Fahd, who is the country's day-to-day leader, recognized Israel and that that recognition was the core of the proposal. The Saudi Government's press agency today quoted what it described as ''an official Saudi source'' as having said that Mr. Allagany was expressing his personal views and that ''the eight points were clear and did not need interpretation.''

The Madison Fund Inc., acknowledging what appeared to be a major investment miscalculation, said yesterday that it would attempt to sell its 16 percent stake in ailing AM International Inc., the moneylosing maker of engineering graphics and information processing systems. Madison, a prosperous Wall Street investment management concern based in New York added, however, that it ''anticipates difficulties'' in finding a buyer. AM International has said it is on the brink of default on $106 million in revolving credit agreements with 19 banks. The company expects to report a loss of $175 million for the fiscal year 1981.

The General Motors Corporation has started an unusual campaign to convince its 499,000 employees of the ''hard realities that may be required for survival'' of the company, according to a private G.M. memorandum obtained yesterday. A major purpose of the campaign, begun this month, is to persuade the company's employees to ''reduce or eliminate unrealistic expectations about economic gains in the forthcoming contract negotiations,'' the memorandum said. This will be done largely at meetings that all hourly and salaried employees are to attend in groups of 25 to 35. Each General Motors employee is to attend four meetings conducted by division and plant general managers.