When I was a kid we threw out our old B&W tv. I wanted to smash the CRT but had heard that they could explode so from a distance I fired several .22 bullets at the screen. They had no effect. IIRC the screen wasn't damaged at all? I can hardly believe what I'm writing but it was true

CRTs have to maintain a near-vacuum inside IIRC. So it's probably a matter of safety to make them strong; if they're too delicate and get mishandled, they implode and some hapless consumer gets a face full of glass.

Wouldn't imploding rather than exploding prevent the face full of glass? But I suppose it has to be pretty strong to maintain that vacuum even if they assumed no one ever touched, moved, or got near it.

CRTs implode—and then glass flies out at high velocity.