What was going on when I was born?

THE court challenge of an Arkansas law that defines creationism as a science has done more than focus on what most scientists consider a silly issue. It has exposed the vulnerability of the public schools to noneducational, political pressures. However judges may rule in Little Rock and in the many states that are considering sim ilar laws, the impact of ''scientific creationism'' on science teaching in many American classrooms will be felt for y ears. Textbook publishers are already revising science books to insu re that the controversy will not reduce sales and profits.

''The Truth Machine - simply turn it on and if anyone ever tells you less than the truth, you'll know!'' That's the claim Telestar Inc. used to make for its device that monitors voices for signs of stress. For just $149, Telestar promised executives a wireless lie detector that could be attached to a telephone, making it possible for them to determine if they were getting ''straight answers'' to such questions as: ''Is this your lowest price?'' ''Have you mailed that check to me yet?'' and ''Can I depend on you?'' The advertising claim was not only too good to be true, but, according to a Federal criminal fraud complaint against Larry Leeds and Donald Do well, the now-dormant company's principals, they knew it, or should have known it. Their trial is one of the few criminal cases to arise from the continuing debate over the reliability and utility of lie detectors in general and voice analyzers in particular. The hearing was scheduled to begin yesterday in the United States District Court in Harrisburg, Pa., but was continued until March 8 at the request of the defendants.

Saudi Arabia's offer to accept Israel's existence and the subsequent Saudi denial that the offer had been made produced no expressions of surprise or disappointment in Israel today. Israelis who have closely studied Saudi affairs for years pointed out that the Saudis were following a well-established pattern. The offer, the latest of many since 1975, was made in an interview published in The New York Times on Sunday; the denial was broadcast by the Riyadh radio today. The Israeli Government had refrained from commenting officially on the statement by the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, that his Government was prepared ''to accept'' Israel if Arab lands occupied in the 1967 war were returned and Palestinian rights were recognized.

The problem of protecting Americans from criminals, while providing a corrections system that does more than ''warehouse'' felons, is arousing fresh concern and study among government officials around the nation. For years, the country's prisons and jails have lurched from crisis to explosive crisis of riot, hunger strike, hostage-taking, sexual misconduct, murder and escape attempts. But the problem appears to have been exacerbated in recent months and has opened a new debate on possible solutions. Rarely has a week passed without a violent or embarrassing incident: an action taken by a judge distress ed at prison conditions,a politician's denouncing the crime rate and society's inadequate protection from criminals who should be b ehind bars, or a report fromone of a variety of local, state and Federal commissions, studies or task forces. Growing Financial Strain Many factors are contributing to bulging prison facilities and a drive for more cells in an era of high building costs and rising inflation rates. These factors include cuts in Federal funds for social needs and strained state budgets called on to provide those services.

An article yesterday on George Ken- nan's views of the sanctions imposed against the Soviet Union incorrectly described the Institute for Advanced Study. It is in Princeton, N.J., but has no connection with the university.

As President Reagan's new national security adviser, William P. Clark Jr. is more likely, at first, to reduce friction and in-fighting at top levels of the Administration than to make an imprint on the Administration's foreign policy. As an early executive secretary to Mr. Reagan when he was Governor of California and his political confidant ever since, Mr. Clark is expected to have both expanded powers and the personal influence to put the White House in control of the frequently confused foreign policy apparatus. But his presence at the focal point of policymaking is also likely to bolster the influence of Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. Mr. Haig has had his differences with Richard V. Allen on questions of both policy and organization. But Mr. Clark, a total newcomer to foreign affairs when he entered the Administration in 1981, has repeatedly spoken of the respect he has gained for Mr. Haig's knowledge of world affairs in a year as Deputy Secretary of State.

The Justice Department said today it would appeal a Federal judge's ruling that Congress violated the Constitution when it extended the deadline for states to ratify the proposed equal rights amendment. J. Paul McGrath, head of the department's civil division, said a decision had been made to appeal the ruling handed down Dec. 23 by Federal District Judge Marion J. Callister. The appeals would go to both the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Supreme Court. The National Organization for Women, a defendant with the Government in the suit decided upon by Judge Callister, filed its appeals to the Ninth Circuit and the Supreme Court today.

The James River Corporation has tentatively agreed to buy certain paper-making operations of the American Can Company for about $420 million in cash and stock, American Can said yesterday. The move is the latest in a series of acquisitions by James River. Under the preliminary accord with James River, American Can would receive about $330 million in cash and the remaining $90 million in James River common stock or preferred stock exchangeable into James River common. The transaction would give American Can 21 percent of the voting stock in James River, a leading producer of specialty paper products. ''On balance, I think it's positive for American Can if and when the deal with James River is consummated,'' said Cornelius W. Thornton, who follows American Can for the First Boston Corporation. ''The amount of cash they're getting from James River, added to the amount they would get should they sell their timberlands, should give them around $600 million to $700 million. This would allow them to get into the financial services business in a meaningful manner.''

A $1.4 billion increase in the nation's basic money supply was reported by the Federal Reserve. The unexpected rise startled the credit markets, where a slight decline had been expected. (Page D1.) Short-term and long-term interest rates rose sharply after the Fed's money supply announcement. (D12.) The stock market posted a moderate advance in the first session of 1982. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 7.52 points, to 882.52. (D8.) The dollar declined in foreign currency trading. Gold prices rose $3.50 an ounce, to $403, in New York, but declined abroad. (D14.) Cattle futures prices rose sharply. (D14.)

Mayor Koch directed Police Commissioner Robert J. McGuire yesterday to develop a plan for temporarily reinforcing the Transit Authority's police force, possibly with city police officers who would work overtime. The Mayor's action came after an increase of 65 percent in reported subway crime last month, and a 45 percent increase in November, compared with the same months in 1980. Aides to the Mayor and Mr. McGuire said the city was not considering any permanent, large-scale deployment of Police Department personnel to patrol New York's subway system. Aides to the Mayor said that except for the temporary reinforcements, no other special plans were being formulated to cope with the recent rise in the subway crime rate. Edward J. Silberfarb, a spokesman for the transit police force, said preliminary data showed that 15,812 felonies, or serious crimes, were reported in the transit system last year - an increase of 13.7 percent over 1980.

WILTON, Conn. - THE large circular mirror stood on display in the fac

designed study has shown more persuasively than any previous experiment that eating less fats and cholesterol can reduce the chances of suffering a heart attack or of dying suddenly from heart disease. The study also showed a smaller benefit from stopping smoking or reducing the number of cigarettes smoked. The study, conducted in Oslo among more than 1,200 healthy men who had high levels of cholesterol in their bloo d , is considered by experts in the United States to be the best e vidence to date of the life-saving value of changing dietary habits. After five years, the men in the experimental group had a 47 percen t lower rate of heart attacks and sudden deaths than did a comparab le group of men who served as controls.