What was going on when I was born?

Thunderstorms dropped more than two inches of rain on New York City in four hours last night, knocking out service on almost half the subway system and causing scattered power failures and widespread flooding. The flooding caused delays of up to several hours at airports and extensive traffic jams on highways. Fierce gusts of wind blew off tree limbs and interrupted power to tens of thousands of homes throughout the city, New Jersey, Westchester County and Connecticut. Subway trains stalled as water cascaded into the tunnels and flooded platforms, isolating some sections of Queens and Staten Island for several hours. Passengers at stops throughout the city had to wade through ankle- deep puddles and frequently had to wait up to two hours for a train.

The Agriculture Department today lowered its projection for the 1983 corn harvest by more than one-third, an indication that the prices of meat and other foods could rise next year. The department said that it had cut its projection by about a billion bushels, because of the heat wave and drought in the Middle West. Most analysts believe that the lower harvest, which will push up prices for corn, the main livestock feed, will lead to reduced supplies of beef, pork and poultry and thus push up meat prices. Chase Econometrics, a consulting firm, predicted that the drop in corn production by itself would lift meat prices by 1 to 2 percent by the second half of 1984 and by 3 to 4 percent in 1985, in addition to some increases projected earlier for other reasons.

The Romans invaded Rochester today. Eleven hundred strong, the triumphant conquerors strode through the pouring rain in makeshift togas and tunics. Slaves pleaded in vain for their freedom before being sold to the highest bidder, then fed their new masters grapes at a banquet. Haughty Roman ladies lifted their dripping togas over puddles and nodded to senators and soldiers. They feasted on Roman dishes and ran in Olympic trials in a weeklong celebration of classical language and culture that marked the 30th annual convention of the Classical Junior League.

The nation's busiest air corridor, the 350 miles between metropolitan Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area, is going to get even more crowded after Labor Day. United Airlines, which already has 15 of the 57 daily departures between the two cities' flagship airports, said last month that it intends to add another nine, or enough to pull it ahead of Pacific Southwest Airlines, with 18. For United, the country's largest airline, the move reflects its desire to establish San Francisco as its third traffic hub after Chicago and Denver. But executives at competing carriers also expect United to go after the growing traffic at the increasingly attractive suburban airports in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas.

The Economy The summer heat wave and drought in the Midwest have cut the projected 1983 corn harvest by more than one-third, the Agriculture Department reported. Such a shortfall could lead to higher meat and other food prices next year. Analysts estimated a rise of 0.5 percent in 1984 and 1.5 percent in 1985. They foresaw no serious food shortage or major increase in prices, however. (Page D1.) Business inventories fell 0.1 percent in June and sales rose 2.1 percent to a record $371.59 billion, the Commerce Department reported. As a result, the inventory-to-sales ratio fell to a record low of 1.36. Analysts predicted that efforts to add to inventories will provide a major spur to the economy in the third quarter. (D1.)

An article in Business Day Monday about the development of plastic bottles incorrectly described the role of Owens-Illinois Inc. It has had a plastic bottle division since 1961.

''My experiences are so different, having come up as a litigator in a male-dominated profession and a male-dominated specialty.

In purely military terms, the fortunes of the Salvadoran Government in its war with leftist guerrillas seem to have improved in recent weeks, according to a variety of foreign experts. This improvement may be especially significant because, unlike several previous upswings in the war, it seems to stem less from mistakes by the rebels and more from improved performance by the Salvadoran Army and Government. But some United States military advisers and civilian analysts believe it is too early to say whether the improvements are permanent or are enough to insure that the insurgency can be ended successfully. ''Two years from now there will still be guerrillas in Morazan,'' a United States military adviser said, referring to a northeastern province that is a sparsely populated and rugged guerrilla stronghold. But the adviser expressed a belief, now widespread in the United States Military Group stationed here, that ''you don't win guerrilla wars by killing guerrillas.'' It is the acceptance of that proposition by some senior and well-placed officers of the Salvadoran Army that, as much as anything else, accounts for a relatively optimistic mood in the United States Military Group and the American Embassy.

Consolidated Edison crews began efforts to restore power to midtown Manhattan's blacked-out garment district yesterday as hundreds of businesses remained closed and economic losses mounted into the millions of dollars. With full power not expected before Monday, the cumulative cost of Wednesday's power failure - in lost retail sales, garment industry business, banking and hotel trade and the wages of thousands of workers - was expected to rise to tens of millions of dollars. City and utility officials and business and labor groups yesterday focused on assessments of the costs and damage, plans for temporary electrical hookups and various measures to provide security and get the commerce of the stricken area, particularly the $17.5 billion-a-year garment and fashion industry, back into operation. Office Towers Deserted Macy's and Gimbels department stores remained closed and were likely to be closed through the weekend. The New York Statler Hotel moved its 2,500 guests because of insufficient power to light rooms and run elevators. Dozens of high-rise office buildings were dark and deserted.

Friday MUSICAL IN THE PARK The season's second presentation at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park is a pop opera, ''Non Pasquale,'' based on Donizetti's ''Don Pasquale.'' The story concerns a rich old bachelor who marries to prevent his nephew from inheriting his fortune. The cast includes Joe Grifasi, whose Broadway credits include ''1940's Radio Hour''; Ron Leibman, who was in the film ''Norma Rae'' and the television series ''Kaz''; Priscilla Lopez, who won a Tony award for ''A Day in Hollywood/ A Night in the Ukraine,'' and Joe Masiell, a stalwart of ''Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.'' Time: 8 P.M., Tuesdays to Sundays, through Sept. 4. It's free; ticket distribution starts at 6 P.M., but the line forms on the Great Lawn in midpark, off 79th Street, during the afternoon. KNIGHTS OVER THE BOARDWALK The eight Army Golden Knights do not ride up on great white chargers; they burst from a YC7A Caribou airplane and float down 12,500 feet. They direct their trajectory by tugging at chute straps, and will drop more than two miles to a 10-foot-long ''X'' on the beach at Coney Island this weekend. The Golden Knights also pass batons from one to another. They will be jumping today, tomorrow and Sunday from 1:30 to 2 P.M. and landing on the sands at West 10th Street and the Boardwalk, between Astroland and the Cyclone Roller Coaster. Admission: free.

Judith S. Kaye, a partner in a Manhattan law firm and vice president of the Legal Aid Society, was nominated by Governor Cuomo yesterday to be the first woman to serve as a judge on the state's highest court. The appointment of Mrs. Kaye to the Court of Appeals is subject to confirmation by the State Senate. At a news conference in his office at the World Trade Center, Mr. Cuomo praised Mrs. Kaye's ''extraordinary qualifications'' and called her a ''a lawyer of unusual ability, integrity and determination.'' Referring to the absence of a woman on the court, he said, ''In addition to adding excellence to the court, the appointment of Judith Kaye erases a stigma it has borne for too long a time.''

The 16- year-old son of a Soviet diplomat here took his parents' car and ran away from home Wednesday because, according to a letter signed with the boy's name, ''I hate my country and it's rules and I love your country.'' By the time the boy had returned to his home in a Washington suburb less than 24 hours later, he had created a diplomatic incident, involving the State Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and police officials in several jurisdictions. Some aspects of his disappearance remained - and may remain - a mystery. It was not clear whether Government authorities, at the time they ordered the search, understood that the boy's departure might involve a possible defection.