It's also why England has plenty of rivers named Avon which was the celtic word for river. When the romans came and asked the locals what the river was they simply replied its a river

The other thing not mentioned here is movement.

If you drop say a phone or a computer on a carpet the carpet will move slightly as the object is dropped dissapating the force. If you have say a see through case on your pc and drop it on a hard floor then the floor won't bend but the metal on the case will and that pinches the glass.

This is why it will still break even if the ceremic never actually touches the glass