I can only partially answer your questions, but I'll give it a shot.
I don't think that in general specific brands matter unless you have a machine that is particularly fussy. I have several Janomes and a Juki, and I've never had an issue with using any of the brands you mentioned. My Juki came with Organ needles and my Janomes came with Janome branded needles which I'm sure are made for them by one of the brands. I generally buy Schmetz because it's readily available locally.
I haven't noticed that one brand holds up better than another.
My mom had a white machine that must have been from the 40s, and it's needle was threaded differently from how my current machines are threaded. I can't remember if it was side to side or back to front, but definitely different. I have no idea what kind of needles it used.
Hope this helps!