What was going on when I was born?

THOMAS C. HAYES LOS ANGELES, May 6 - He is battling in court with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is on the defensive with the New York Stock Exchange and is indirectly under review at the Labor Department. Nonetheless, Philip M. Hawley, the urbane chairman and chief executive of Carter Hawley Hale Stores, is certain that he has not acted recklessly in his effort to elude the unwelcome takeover moves of The Limited Inc., and its chairman, Leslie H. Wexner. ''It's all part of this game,'' a relaxed Mr. Hawley said in an interview. He attributed the unusually intense scrutiny of his defensive measures by the regulatory agencies to repeated proddings from The Limited, and added that none of the confrontations had come as a surprise.

Salvadorans stood in line for hours today to vote for the country's first president to be elected without military interference in more than 50 years. The confusion about voting procedures that plagued the preliminary round of elections March 25 was absent in the runoff today, and officials said guerrilla harassment was at a minimum. The choice was between Jose Napoleon Duarte, candidate of the moderate Christian Democratic Party, and Roberto d'Aubuisson, of the far- right Nationalist Republican Alliance, known as Arena. Duarte Seen as the Favorite Mr. Duarte was viewed as the favorite by United States officials and Salvadoran politicians. A survey of voters as they left the polls indicated that Mr. Duarte would win by a comfortable margin, but even preliminary returns were not expected until Monday. The survey was conducted by the Spanish International Network, a Spanish-language television network in the United States.

The Reagan Administration is divided over a bill that would broaden the scope of Federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, race, national origin, age and handicap. The bill would reverse a precedent set by the Supreme Court in February when it decided an educational case. The Court ruled that only the specific ''program or activity'' receiving Federal money was subject to a Federal law prohibiting sex discrimination. The bill under consideration would forbid discrimination by any ''recipient'' of Federal money.

Salvadorans turned out to vote for President in the first such election the military has not interfered with in more than 50 years. The voting took place in circumstances less confused than they were in the preliminary round March 25. Guerrilla harassment was negligible, officials said. (Page A1, Column 1.) Panama's first Presidential election in 16 years brought out many voters in orderly proceedings. The candidates are an 82-year-old physician and three-time former president, Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid, and Nicolas Ardito Barletta, a former vice president of the World Bank. (A13:1.)

DANIEL F. CUFF ''It's a wonderful thing for the shareholders,'' Donald P. Kelly said of the $2.4 billion plan last week for a Wall Street investment house to take Esmark Inc. private. The comment by Mr. Kelly, Esmark's chairman and chief executive, was reflected on Wall Street, where shares in the big Chicago conglomerate shot up $12.375 on Thursday, the day of the offer, to $57.625. But the fact that traders pushed the open-market price well past the $55-a-share offer also seemed to indicate at first that an even more wonderful deal might be possible. Then, on Friday, the stock slipped back as the potential for other bidders seemed to fade.

SAM GOLDAPER As the victorious Knicks headed to their dressing room after beating the Boston Celtics yesterday afternoon, Len Elmore, applauding as he walked, said, ''It's resurrection time.'' If that is so, then it is Bernard King who has lifted the Knicks up. King scored 43 points to lead them to a 118-113 victory before 15,840 at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks have now recovered from a 0-2 deficit to tie the Eastern Conference playoff semifinal at 2 games apiece. The fifth game of the four-of-seven series will be played Wednesday night in Boston and the sixth Friday night at the Garden.

Treasury Secretary Donald T. Regan said today that the Social Security system would have to be re-evaluated before the end of the decade to assess whether upper- income retirees should continue to receive benefits. Responding, on the NBC-TV program Meet the Press, to questions about continuing Federal deficits, Mr. Regan said that ''at the lower end of the scale we shouldn't do anything to Social Security.'' But at the upper end, he said, ''I think we better re-examine it.''

STEVEN CRIST LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 6 - Swale, who won the 110th Kentucky Derby Saturday, is almost certain to continue his quest for the Triple Crown by making his next start in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico May 19, a race his handlers had planned to pass. His once more celebrated stablemate, Devil's Bag, who was supposedly held out of the Derby to train for a Preakness, now will not run in that race or in the Preakness Prep next Saturday, according to his trainer, Woody Stephens. Devil's Bag's next start, if he makes one, has yet to be determined. On the morning after a colt wins the Kentucky Derby, his camp is usually still basking in triumph, reliving the victory and dreamily looking ahead to others. But less than 24 hours after Swale's 3 1/4-length score, his handlers were mired in uncertainty and sending out conflicting signals.

The clutter of empty beverage containers along streets and highways and in parks and streams has been considerably reduced since the New York State bottle law took effect eight months ago, according to government officials and environmentalists. But the improvement is said by all accounts to be greater upstate than in New York City, where managing the return of empty containers, particularly from small stores, continues to be a problem. That the city would lag in adjusting to the new regulations was expected, the officials said, because it is by far the biggest population and beverage- consumption center in the state. Some retailers in the city charge that the beer industry, which fought the bill, is now moving slowly on complying with the law. The industry denies the charge and insists it is committed to the anti-litter program.

MONDAY, MAY 7, 1984 The Economy First-quarter corporate profits soared, led by autos, chemicals, forest products and energy. Steel was among the few sectors that did not fare well. (Page D1.)

The Personal Health column in The Living Section on March 14 incorrectly described the speed with which 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C is excreted in the urine. The rate varies greatly from person to person, depending partly on the amount of the vitamin already present in the blood.

SUSAN CHIRA Corporate profits increased dramatically in the first quarter, with steel one of the few industries clouding the picture. The gains occurred in almost every sector of the economy. Of 286 companies surveyed by The New York Times, 223 reported an increase in earnings from a year earlier, with the strongest showings posted by automobiles, chemicals, forest products and energy.