What was going on when I was born?

The Supreme Court ruled today, 5 to 4, that children who are illegal aliens have a constitutional right to a free public education. The Court said that a Texas law, which was declared unconstitutional earlier in two separate rulings by the Excerpts from opinions, page D22. United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, violated the children's constitutional right to equal protection of the laws. In an opinion by Associate Justice William J. Brennan Jr., the Court struck down the statute, which cut off state funds from local school districts for educating children who had not been ''legally admitted'' to the United States. Under that law, the local districts could either charge the children tuition or bar them from school.

The Drysdale Securities Corporation, a 92-year-old stock and bond trading firm, announced yesterday that it was liquidating its business. The company's brief statement offered no reason for the liquidation. But it appeared to be linked to the troubles that developed after its offspring, Drysdale Government Securities, shook the markets by defaulting last month on $160 million in interest payments due on Treasury securities it had borrowed from other firms. Although Drysdale Securities had tried to separate itself from Drysdale Government Securities, which it had spun off as a separate operation in January, a cash squeeze developed at the parent company. Banks reportedly tightened up on credit, and others placed restrictions on business done with the firm.

A combination of the wrong products and a fickle toy market were the leading factors in the bankruptcy proceedings of Mego International Inc., company officials and industry analysts said. Mego, which built its business on celebrity dolls like Batman, King Kong and Farrah Fawcett, sought protection under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Act on Monday. Some analysts interviewed mostly blamed the company's line of toys. ''There was a lack of exciting new product,'' said David S. Leibowitz, vice president of the American Securities Corporation, a New York brokerage firm.

A picture that accompanied a dispatch from Mauritius last Thursday was published in error. It showed Harish Boodhoo, the head of the Hindu Organization of the Mauritian Socialist Party. The person mentioned in the caption - Paul Berenger, leader of the opposition - was correctly pictured Sunday on page 3.

An Israeli commander called today for the withdrawal of all Syrian forces stationed in the Beirut area as Israeli armored units tightened their grip on the city. Syria rejected the demand. Israeli and Syrian forces jockeyed for position around Beirut and along the Beirut-Damascus highway in what appears to be an attempt to strengthen their military positions. The redeployment resulted in a firefight between Israeli armored units trying to move into Shuweifat, just south of Beirut airport, and Syrian and Palestinian artillery units trying to hold them back, Lebanese Government sources said. The Israelis succeeded in entering Shuweifat.

An item in the Going Out Guide yesterday about the comedy team of Bob and Ray incorrectly described their careers. They are still working in radio.

The Soviet Union pledged today that it would not use a nuclear weapon first in any war. The promise came in a statement from Leonid I. Brezhnev, the Soviet leader, that was delivered by his Foreign Minister, Andrei A. Gromyko, to the General Assembly's special session on disarmament. ''The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics assumes an obligation not to be the first to use nuclear weapons,'' Mr. Brezhnev said. ''This obligation shall become effective immediately, on the moment it is made public from the rostrum of the General Assembly.''

The Federal Reserve Board chairman, Paul A. Volcker, said today that the central bank's monetary policy should not be restricted by rigid adherence to its monetary targets, his strongest indication to date that the practice would jeopardize the recovery. Mr. Volcker's comment, combined with some recent speeches, appeared to constitute an acknowledgement that the Fed was going to continue to allow the closely watched M-1 money supply to grow above its target range for the year, signaling that it may have effectively abandoned the target. In testimony to the Joint Economic Committee, Mr. Volcker made it clear that he believed the Fed must have the flexibility to make its own judgments if it is to follow a policy that continues to fight inflation while allowing for a recovery and a decline in interest rates. ''It is clear that interpreting the performance of the monetary and credit aggregates must be assessed against the background of economic and financial developments generally,'' Mr. Volcker told the committee. ''The hard truth is that there inevitably is a critical need for judgment in the conduct of monetary policy.''

Industrial production dropped just 0.2 percent in May, the Federal Reserve Board said. The small decline, though it was the ninth in 10 months, raised hopes that the recession may be easing. It also meant factory utilization fell, probably under 71 percent of capacity for the first time in the recession, analysts said. (Page D1.) The Fed's monetary policy should not be measured according to its adherence to its monetary targets, Paul A. Volcker, chairman of the central bank, told Congress. His comment was seen as an indication that the Fed might have effectively abandoned its target range for growth of the money supply this year. (D1.)

International Over 13,000 Argentines surrendered to British forces in the Falklands during the night, bringing the total number of prisoners to 15,000 in the three-week war, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced. The final capitulation came after heavily outnumbered British troops fought to within rifleshot of the defenders of Stanley, the last major Argentine stronghold in the islands. (Page A1, Column 6.) Peace will not be possible if Britain restores ''colonial rule'' in the Falklands, President Leopoldo F. Galtieri asserted in an angry televised speech to Argentines. A senior official said that Argentina would continue to fight in the air and at sea. (A22:1-2.)

Edwin P. Wilson, a fugitive former American intelligence agent, was arrested by Federal agents in New York City yesterday after being snared in an international trap set by the Justice Department. Mr. Wilson is charged with illegally shipping explosives to Libya and other crimes. Federal prosecutors have also asserted that he developed a terrorist training program in Libya where he has been living since 1980. Attorney General William French Smith announced in Washington that Mr. Wilson was arrested by United States marshals at John F. Kennedy International Airport yesterday afternoon after he arrived from the Dominican Republic. Mr. Wilson was taken to the United States Courthouse in Brooklyn, where a Federal magistrate set bail at $20 million and ordered him held overnight in New York pending the arrival of his lawyer. A court proceeding is scheduled for today.

THERE is nothing more frustrating to most parents than to watch what their children eat - and don't eat. Many parents complain that their control over their children's diets ends with weaning. With each passing year, the menu seems to get worse. This is especially true now when most children are growing up in households where both parents work or where there is only one parent - one who works. The problem is compounded by seductive television advertising, vending machines, fast-food establishments and street vendors hawking foods of questionable nutritional value. When visions of sugarplums are dancing in young heads, apples and carrot sticks are less likely to start mouths watering. Can children making food choices on their own be trusted to choose what's good for them? How can busy parents with limited food preparation time provide nourishing meals and snacks that children will eat? The answers vary somewhat for different age groups and tastes, but there are answers, even for the pickiest and most rebellious of youngsters and the busiest of parents.