What was going on when I was born?

The Cone Mills Corporation, a textile company that has been the target of a takeover attempt by Western Pacific Industries, yesterday announced an agreement for Cone to be bought by management, employees and institutional investors. Cone said holders of its 5.5 million outstanding shares would receive $70 a share, or a total of $385 million. The stock closed yesterday at $66.75, up $3.50, on the New York Stock Exchange. Its price has risen more than $20 since Western Pacific disclosed its takeover attempt early this month.

The Colombian Government is embroiled in an angry dispute with Chase Manhattan bank over the mysterious disappearance of $13.5 million from Colombia's account with the bank's London branch. According to testimony and documents produced at a series of Congressional hearings here, the money disappeared after an exchange of fake telexes that authorized a transfer of funds involving Chase, Morgan Guaranty Trust and the Hapoalim Bank of Tel Aviv. So far, the Government said, it does not know who sent the telexes and who got the money. The funds were part of a $47.2 million loan made by Chase and Manufacturer's Hanover Trust in May 1982 for use by the Colombian Defense Ministry in the purchase of police transport, and supplies and communications equipment for the Colombian navy.

-so-simple side dish of cranberries, buttered pecans and Cognac to a chicken rollatini stuffed with mozzarella and prosciutto, specialty food carryout shops are helping to ease the burden of the holiday season. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's, when most free time is devoted to Christmas shopping and holiday entertaining, something has to give. Like dusting. Or sleeping. Or cooking. At this time of year the carryout shops, which have blossomed all over the city in the last several years, can provide relief by offering everything from a snack to a full-course banquet, often without any advance notice. They make it possible to produce entire dinner parties in 30 minutes, feed unexpected company or help out a frantic hostess, all without having to turn on the stove. Not everything from these shops is wonderful, of course. But winning dishes are there for the picking; all you have to know is where to look.

''This bill allows the seizure of these particularly dangerous weapons prior to their being used.

The bitterly contested seizure of the Biscayne Federal Savings and Loan Association by bank regulators was upheld today in a ruling that could clear the way for the sale of the insolvent thrift institution. Although further appeals are planned, the decision by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta was an important victory for the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, which took control of Biscayne on April 6. Today's decision overturned a Federal judge's ruling in September that the action by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board had been illegal and that the institution must be returned to its stockholders. Edwin J. Gray, the bank board chairman, said in a statement: ''We are extremely pleased that the appeals court panel has unanimously vindicated the bank board's receivership action.'' He added: ''The ruling reaffirms the board's statutory authority to act expeditiously and decisively to resolve cases of insolvent institutions.''

The Dow Jones industrial average surged 17.38 points yesterday to a record closing high of 1,287.20. Analysts said heavy volume - 100.5 million shares traded, up from 78.2 million the day before - indicated that many cash-laden institutions had returned to the market. The best gainers were some of the blue-chip and technology issues. The market's overall advance, however, was not as sharp as the Dow's; winners outnumbered losers by about a 5-to-3 ratio. The performance of the two more broadly based market indicators yesterday was also more moderate. The New York Stock Exchange composite index of 1,500 common stocks rose 0.75, to 96.94, while Standard & Poor's index of 500 equities added 1.37, to 167.91. Both indexes are still below their record highs, set in October.