Short answers, pulled from the story.
The word white continues Old English, ultimately from a Proto-Germanic root also reflected in Old High German, Old Norse, and Gothic. The root is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European language, surviving also in Sanskrit meaning to be white or bright.
In 1666, Isaac Newton demonstrated that white light was composed of multiple colors by passing it through a prism to break it up into components then using a second prism to reassemble them. Before Newton, most scientists believed that white was the fundamental color of light.
Pope Pius V, a former monk of the Dominican Order, began this practice when he became head of the Roman Catholic Church in 1566. Since 1566, the pope has worn white as a symbol of purity and sacrifice.
Titanium white first became commercially available in 1921 and had twice the covering power of lead white. By 1945, 80 percent of the white pigments sold were titanium white, making it the brightest white pigment known.
The White movement was defeated by the Bolsheviks in 1921 and 1922 after forming against the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War which followed the Russian Revolution in 1917. Many members emigrated to Europe following their defeat.