Carlin dedicated the special to Sam Kinison, who died two weeks before airing. Carlin was inspired by Kinison's loud voice to raise his own vocal level.
George Carlin considered this to be his best special, and the special in which he found his full comedic voice.
George calculates that in 200 years, the United States has fought in ten major wars. Chronologically, they are: the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the American Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War.
When George translates the flight attendant's "In the unlikely even of a sudden change in cabin pressure" into "ROOF FLIES OFF", he was likely referring to Aloha Airlines flight 243. On April 28, 1988, a large section of the roof of that plane ripped off at 24000 feet, killing a flight attendant who wasn't buckled in at the time, and caused 65 other passengers to be injured, but no further fatalities, and the plane landed safely.
This special was originally promoted on HBO under the title "George Carlin: Live At The Paramount."