As for the planks, I am pretty sure I haven't seen a house (as in true house, where people live) with vertical laid planks.
They're quite common in here. I think the style originated from adding an extra layer to log houses. Especially back in the days, planks split by crude tools were too irregular (or expensive) to form the main wall structure. Log houses were the way to go, obviously with a horizontal structure. Extra planking added insulation and formed an expendable layer which could be replaced easier than the main log structure. Nailing a vertical plank to horizontal logs is a simple operation thus it was often used.
Since the wood industry developed, there were more options for inner and outer structures. Both styles have been seen since. Here are a few illustrations I found on the net, showing vertical and horizontal plankings respectively. Don't ask me about the correct (English) names for each style.
Both were seen, for example, in the standardised plans provided for free by the government for rapid rebuilding after WWII.
Maybe it's partially a local thing, tracing back to log houses and strong insulation needed for six month winters. Unfortunately I'm not an expert on such matters. I've only lived in modern brick and concrete houses so these things rarely cross my mind. They could be seen everywhere if I only bothered to look, though.