With seven seasons under its belt and an eighth (and even a ninth!) season on the way, American Horror Story has become quite the vast and complex universe. There are so many connections between seasons, crossover characters, and recurring stars, it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything. And on top of that, you're telling me we have to keep a bunch of important dates in mind? Ha! Get real. In an effort to help you fully prep for the next gripping instalment, we've decided to create a timeline of all the major dates you need to remember as you move forward. Brace yourself, things get really messy after 2010.
John White settles and establishes the Roanoke Colony in what is now North Carolina. He leaves his wife Thomasin (Kathy Bates) in charge while away on business.
The other members of the colony revolt against Thomasin and exile her.
Thomasin swears allegiance to Scáthach (and eats a boar's heart) and becomes the Butcher. Under her new rule, the rest of the colony bends to the will of Scáthach.
Eventually, Ambrose (Wes Bentley) attempts to sway the Butcher away from the witch; the Butcher, in turn, murders every member of the colony and binds their spirits to the land.
The height of the Salem witch trials, during which Prudence Mather is the Supreme. The coven has decided to flee south to New Orleans, but Prudence, ill with consumption, is too ill to make the trip.
Prudence invokes the "Sacred Taking," which allows a new Supreme to rise and take the rest of the witches to safety.
Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies is founded in New Orleans.
1792 — Roanoke
Edward Philippe Mott (Evan Peters), distant relative of Gloria Mott (Frances Conroy) and Dandy Mott (Finn Wittrock), builds the big Shaker Mansion in North Carolina.
The Butcher and her undead minions claim his soul, killing him and trapping him on the land.
Madame Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates) settles in New Orleans with her husband and three daughters. She develops a nasty habit of harvesting blood from her slaves to use as a nightly face mask.
Delphine overhears her daughters planning to murder her and locks them in her torture chamber for a year.
Delphine catches her daughter, Borquita, with the house slave Bastien. As punishment, she turns Bastien into a Minotaur. Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett), the local witch and former lover of Bastien, is devastated.
Marie Laveau kills Delphine's entire family as revenge. Then, she makes Delphine immortal and buries her alive.
Mid-1800s — Freak Show
Edward Mordrake (Wes Bentley), a noble Englishman, suffers from an unthinkable ailment: a devilish face on the back of his head whispers terrible, hellish things to him.
Edward's family admits him to the insane asylum in Bedlam, but he escapes. He ends up as an act at the freak show.
Overcome with misery, Edward murders every freak in the troupe on Halloween night and hangs himself.
Watch the Cast of Fear Street Play a Creepy Game of Horror Movie "Would You Rather"
1910s
1910 — Asylum
Briarcliff Manor is built.
1919 — Coven
In New Orleans, a serial killer known as the Axeman (Danny Huston) writes a letter to the newspapers. Whichever citizens do not play jazz in their homes risk being murdered.
The witches of Miss Robichaux's lure the Axeman into their home and stab him to death.
Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross) builds a mansion in Los Angeles for his wife, Nora (Lily Rabe).
Dr. Montgomery, addicted to drugs, becomes obsessed with resurrecting dead animals and sewing them together. He eventually begins to perform illegal abortions to fund his terrible habits.
A crazed patient murders and dismembers the Montgomery baby. Charles sews him back together to create the Infantata.
In 1926, Nora kills Charles and then herself.
1925 to 1929 — Hotel
James March (Evan Peters) begins building the Hotel Cortez in 1925.
Elizabeth Johnson (Lady Gaga), who eventually becomes Cortez's terrifying Countess, works as an extra on The Son of Sheik, where she meets Rudolph Valentino (Finn Wittrock). She enters a threeway relationship with him and Natacha Rambova.
Believing her lovers have died, Elizabeth marries James March in 1926 and calls herself The Countess. James becomes the Ten Commandments Killer, and Elizabeth likes to watch him commit his murders.
The Countess attempts to get an abortion from Charles Montgomery, but her child survives.
Rudolph and Natacha turn up alive and infect the Countess with a mysterious blood virus. When the three attempt to run off to travel the world, James traps Rudolph and Natacha in a secret hallway, leaving them to rot.
Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange), a woman living in Brandenburg, Germany, is drugged and forced to perform in a snuff film. Asylum's deranged doctor, Hans Grüper (James Cromwell), amputates her legs with a chainsaw.
After escaping to America in 1936, Elsa adopts an unfortunate outcast named Pepper.
With the addition of Ethel Darling (Kathy Bates) and her son Jimmy Darling (Evan Peters), the whole operation grows into Fräulein Elsa's Cabinet of Curiosities.
Twisty the Clown flees the circus, believing the police are after him.
After trying and failing to sell toys to children, he attempts suicide via shotgun, and loses half his face.
1947 — Murder House
A woman named Elizabeth Short visits a dentist by the name of Dr. Curan at the Murder House. Curan rapes Elizabeth, who dies from the sedation chemicals. Charles manifests and convinces Curan to maim and dismember Elizabeth, who becomes the infamous Black Dahlia.
1949 — Asylum
Judy Martin (Jessica Lange) believes she's killed a young girl in a drunk driving accident. She renounces her vices and joins the Catholic church as a nun and renames herself Sister Jude.
The season begins with Bette and Dot Tattler joining Fräulein Elsa's Cabinet of Curiosities.
Twisty the Clown and Dandy Mott intermingle and go on separate killing sprees. Twisty is claimed by Edward Mordrake, while Dandy is murdered by the band of freaks.
Elsa Mars sells the show and runs off the Hollywood.
1953 — Roanoke
Dandy's death marks the end of the Mott lineage. The massive house in Roanoke goes up for sale.
Elsa Mars becomes a famous star in Hollywood, but is ultimately unhappy. She performs on Halloween so that Edward Mordrake can claim her soul and return her to the family of freaks.
1962 to 1965 — Asylum
The majority of the events in Asylum occur.
The season begins as Kit Walker (Evan Peters) is framed for the Bloody Face murders and committed to Briarcliff. Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) is committed after attempting to sneak onto the premises to interview Kit.
Sister Mary Eunice gets possessed by a demon and wreaks havoc on the asylum.
Aliens invade and impregnate Grace Betrand (Lizzie Brocheré).
Lana Winters discovers the true identity of Bloody Face, Oliver Thredson (Zachary Quinto). She eventually kills him.
1967 to 1968 — Cult
Valerie Solanas (Lena Dunham) founds SCUM (the Society for Cutting Up Men) and publishes the SCUM Manifesto.
Valerie attempts to murder Andy Warhol (Evan Peters) in 1968.
1968 — Murder House
Two nurses are brutally killed in the Murder House, which at the time is being used by a sorority.
1969 — Asylum
Lana Winters publishes a sensational memoir about her trauma, which skyrockets on bestseller lists around the world.
Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange) is living in the Murder House with her husband, Hugo, and her maid, Moira O'Hara. When she discovers her husband attempted to rape Moira, she kills them both.
Constance moves to another house nearby with her children.
1984 — Hotel
Nick Pryor checks into the Cortez, and with the help of the Countess, becomes Liz Taylor. The Countess hires her to work at the hotel so she doesn't have to go back to the closeted, conservative life she was living.
1988 — Roanoke
Two murderous nurses move into the Roanoke house and start a healthcare facility wherein they torture and kill their patients. They are very particular, and are attempting to spell out M-U-R-D-E-R with the initials of their victims.
The Butcher murders them before they can finish their work.
Hank, the future husband of Cordelia (Sarah Paulson), goes on a witch hunt with his father.
1993 to 1994 — Murder House
Larry Harvey (Denis O'Hare) moves into the Murder House with his family.
Constance, hoping to once again take ownership of the house, seduces Larry. When his Lorraine finds out, she sets a fire that kills her and their two daughters.
Constance moves back into the Murder House with her children.
Tate sets Larry on fire in his office. Then he goes to his school and kills 15 people. Back in the Murder House, he is killed by a S.W.A.T. team.
1993 to 1994 — Hotel
Hypodermic Sally checks into the Cortez with Nick Harley and Tina Black, whom she's writing music with. During an insane drug trip, she sews all f them together, and the latter two die of drug overdoses. Sally is stuck to their corpses for five days. The Addiction Demon appears.
Sally checks into the Cortez once more with Donovan (Matt Bomer).
In 2010, Chad Warwick (Zachary Quinto) and his boyfriend buy the Murder House so they can flip it. During an argument on Halloween, they're killed by the Rubber Man.
In Boston, Vivien Harmon (Connie Britton) suffers a miscarriage and discovers that her husband, Ben (Dylan McDermott), is cheating on her.
The family decides to move to Los Angeles. In June 2011, they move into the Murder House.
In 2012, Vivien dies giving birth to Tate's baby, Ben's death is made to look like a suicide, and Constance takes custody of the baby, naming him Michael.
2010 — Hotel
John Lowe (Wes Bentley) goes to Hotel Cortez for the first time. James March's spirit recruits him to carry out the rest of the Ten Commandment murders.
The Countess (Lady Gaga) kidnaps John Lowe's son, Holden.
2012 — Asylum
The events of Asylum conclude. Johnny Morgan (Dylan McDermott) assumes the identity of Bloody Face and eventually plots the murder of his mother, Lana Winters.
In one final showdown, Lana kills her son and ends Bloody Face's reign for good.
2013 to 2014 — Coven
The majority of the events in Coven occur.
The season begins as Zoe Benson (Taissa Farmiga) accidentally kills her boyfriend. Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy) arrives and invites Zoe to go to Miss Robichaux's Academy to learn how to control her newfound abilities.
In 2014, the season ends as Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) becomes the next Supreme, Myrtle dies by burning (again), and Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange) dies.
2014 — Roanoke
The story of Roanoke begins as the real-life Shelby (Lily Rabe) and Matt (Cuba Gooding Jr.) move into the Roanoke house and begin to experience eerie paranormal activity.
2014 — Cult
The mother and father of the Anderson household die in a murder-suicide. Kai (Evan Peters) and Vincent Anderson (Cheyenne Jackson) lock their dead bodies in the master bedroom.
2015 — Murder House
Michael Langdon murders his nanny, and Murder House concludes.
2015 — Hotel
The majority of the events in Hotel occur.
The season begins as John Lowe investigates a series of grisly murders in LA and checks in at the Hotel Cortez . . . in Room 64.
The chain of events ends with the death of the Countess, who is stuck in the Cortez with March forever.
2015 to 2017 — Roanoke
The majority of the events in Roanoke occur.
In the wake of their harrowing experience, Matt and Shelby film My Roanoke Nightmare. The show airs in the Fall and goes viral.
In 2016, the cast participates in a panel at Paleyfest.
In October 2016, the cast heads to Roanoke to film Return to Roanoke: Three Days in Hell.
Everyone dies except for Lee Harris (Adina Porter).
In late 2017, Lee participates in The Lana Winters Special to talk about her experience.
Lee sacrifices herself to save her daughter, and the Roanoke house burns down.
2016 to 2018 — Cult
The majority of the events in Cult occur.
The season begins as Donald Trump wins the 2016 election and Ally Mayfair-Richards (Sarah Paulson) heads for a mental breakdown.
Kai ascends to the rank of city councilman but eventually goes to prison for his heinous clown cult crimes.
In 2018, Kai escapes and attempts to attack Ally. Beverly Hope (Adina Porter) kills him.