What was going on when I was born?

With second-quarter earnings out, the nation's major car makers appear somewhat healthier. General Motors and Chrysler earned more than had been expected, and Ford had its first profit in a year. But the earnings are thin by any measure - G.M., which not so long ago had billion-dollar quarters, is not even expected to reach that total for the year - and they reflect a slimming down of operations rather than any growth. In fact, the United States automobile industry is halfway through its fourth year of recession - depression is the term used here - with little indication that the public plans to return to the showrooms soon. As the assembly lines shut down for the traditional late-summer changeover to 1983 models, industry leaders and analysts alike expect that total sales this year will amount to as few as 8.2 million cars. With imports accounting for 2.2 million, the domestic industry will have sold barely 6 million cars, its worst year since 1961. And inventories of unsold cars stand at a 78-day supply, with 60 days the comfortable norm.

The House of Representatives, in a break with custom, voted tonight to go to conference with the Senate on the Senate's three-year, $99 billion revenue-raising bill without first passing its own separate tax measure. The vote, 208 to 197, greatly improved the prospects for sending a revenue bill to President Reagan by the time Congress takes its Labor Day recess on Aug. 20. For that to occur, the conference would have to send a bill back to both chambers, which would then have to approve it. In an hour of impassioned debate on the floor, both the Republican and Democratic leadership of the House supported going directly to conference as the best means of adopting a tax bill that would reduce huge projected budget deficits and thus help to stimulate the economy.

International Guarded hope for peace in Lebanon was expressed by President Reagan. At his 12th Presidential news conference, Mr. Reagan carefully avoided placing blame for the conflict on Israel and said that in some instances the Palestine Liberation Organization had been ''the first to break the cease-fire.'' (Page A1, Column 6.) A Palestinian promise is sought in the negotiations on Lebanon. Prime Minister Menachem Begin said the American mediator, Philip C. Habib, promised him Tuesday to try to obtain ''an unequivocal commitment'' from the Palestine Liberation Organization to accept the principle of leaving Beirut. The Israeli leader said Mr. Habib, who returned to Beirut yesterday, believed that such a commitment was necessary for progress in the peace negotiations. (A1:5.)

The Federal Trade Commission voted unanimously today to seek an injunction that would block the acquisition of the Cities Service Company by the Gulf Oil Corporation. The F.T.C. said the huge merger could jeopardize competition in the sale of petroleum products, especially in the South and East. Officials at the commission said the agency would ask a Federal district court on Thursday for a preliminary injunction to suspend the $5.13 billion deal until the agency studied it more closely. If the commission succeeds in getting an injunction and then lodges an official complaint, setting in motion a full-scale examination of the deal, the process could take months or years -effectively killing the deal. But analysts said the two companies were likely to meet the F.T.C.'s antitrust objections by agreeing to sell offending operations.

''But it is regretful the way the people of Glen Cove look at our people, who by the way are human beings, too.

The House voted today to bar funds for the development, testing, procurement or operation of any nuclear weapon that would undercut the first or second strategic arms limitation agreements with the Soviet Union. The measure would bar funds for weapons that ''contravene existing strategic arms policies of the United States'' unless the President certified to Congress 30 days in advance that his actions were in the nation's ''supreme national interest'' and explained why. The measure was offered by Representative Les Aspin, Democrat of Wisconsin, as an amendment to the $177.1 billion military authorization bill for the fiscal year 1983. The amendment, which had not been expected to be considered today, is likely to be strongly opposed by the White House.

President Reagan, saying that he yearned to see ''the bloodshed and the shelling'' end in Lebanon, voiced guarded optimism tonight that a peaceful resolution could be found to the crisis there. At his 12th news conference as President, Mr. Reagan said that ''contrary to some reports or rumors today there are no deadlines that have been set of any kind.'' ''I still remain optimistic that a solution is going to be found,'' he added. In speaking of ''reports or rumors,'' Mr. Reagan was alluding to remarks today by Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel that the United States had promised to seek ''an unequivocal commitment'' from the Palestine Liberation Organization on the principle of leaving west Beirut. Mr. Begin said Philip C. Habib, the special American envoy, had told him that he would ''check on this within the next two days.'' (Page A10.)

The State Department in Washington asked the Justice Department today to review possible legal action against the City of Glen Cove. The Government wants to force the city to lift a ban that prohibits Soviet diplomats from using the city's tennis courts and other recreational facilities. Mayor Alan M. Parente, who joined the City Council Tuesday in refusing to lift the ban despite a State Department request not to meddle in foreign affairs, continued today to resist the growing pressure from Washington. ''Unless the State Department wants to pay up all the property taxes the Soviets have never had to pay like other Glen Cove residents,'' Mayor Parente said, ''then the Russians will have to stay off the tennis courts.''

The fall and winter showings peaked today. Yves Saint Laurent occupied close to two hours this morning with the presentation of his sleek, sophisticated collection, leaving fashion followers a relatively brief time for lunch before going on to Hubert de Givenchy's opening at 3 P.M. Both are highly professional designers in complete control of their craft. The fashion voltage was running strong today. It was couture at top form. Immaculately groomed mannequins with the full complement of jewels, furs, hats and even gloves strode the runways of the Inter-Continental (Saint Laurent) and Grand Hotels (Givenchy) with the assurance that they were wearing the most magnificent clothes in the world. Grandeur was the keynote of both presentations.

The F.T.C. said it would try to block Gulf Oil's acquisition of Cities Service pending further study. It said the huge merger could jeopardize competition in the sale of petroleum products, especially in the South and East. Officials said the agency will ask a Federal court today for a preliminary injunction suspending the $5.13 billion deal until it can be examined more closely. (Page D1.) Buyers are being sought for two Texas banks that were closed by Federal regulators because of questionable lending practices. The abuses, possibly involving misappropriation of bank funds, were found during a routine examination. (D3.)

With both franchising and home improvement booming despite the recession, Art Bartlett has made the logical connection: He is promoting franchised remodeling contractors. Mr. Bartlett and his associates have founded a new company called Mr. Build International. Some of the associates were with him while he was developing the Century 21 Real Estate Corporation into a huge franchising empire that was later sold to the Trans World Corporation for $90 million. Now Mr. Bartlett's goal is to take remodeling out of the shadowy realm of often undercapitalized companies and make it a business of reliable professionals. So far, he has signed franchise agreements with 300 independent remodelers with annual sales averaging $300,000 each - implying overall volume for his present network of about $90 million. Mr. Bartlett hopes to enlist 10,000 remodelers throughout the United States and Canada by 1987.

Mayor Koch and Lieut. Gov. Mario M. Cuomo repeatedly questioned each other's motivation, character, ability and tactics as they debated yesterday for nearly two hours. The Mayor often accused his opponent in the Democratic gubernatorial primary of having accomplished nothing as Lieutenant Governor and of making ''misstatements.'' Mr. Cuomo, in turn, charged Mr. Koch with a lack of knowledge of state government and with ''pandering'' to voters by changing his positions. Each accused the other in the debate at The New York Times of raising emotional issues, such as the death penalty, to score political points with the voters, who will go to the polls on Sept. 23. The two sat side by side and frequently turned directly to each other.